Hawks draft Payne

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Here's what Hawks President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry said after the NBA Draft Thursday night in response to questions from the media:

“We want to play with pace and space, and Adreian is someone that can do both. From being able to run the court and compete on both ends, along with being able to shoot the basketball, he fits the way we want to play. Along with that, Michigan State guys are guys that we like. They play with a high level of competitiveness. It’s a program that we greatly respect, and obviously he’s been raised the right way by Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Excited to have him.”

You consider him a stretch four then? Someone who can shoot a three?

“He’s a stretch big. He’ll be able to shoot and open the court up for our guards and everybody in general. That’s something we value.”

You’ve spoken a lot in the past about wanting character guys, was his character something that helped make your decision?

“He’s a good young man,” Ferry said. “We look forward to getting to know him even more. Coming from a program like Michigan State and being around Tom Izzo and the values that program has, and playing in a style that we think fits the style that we play. We like shooting, we like guys that can get up and down. I think he’s a good fit for what we’re trying to do.”

Because he’s a little older and not a guy who’s like a freshman or sophomore is he a guy that can help you right away?

“I don’t know. That’s something they’ll have to determine on the court, but he is a little older with four years of college, and where we were drafting that may be a good thing. He might’ve been a little undervalued because he’s older. Sometimes we overvalue the younger guys and undervalue the guys who have been in college for four years. Hopefully this is one of those instances.”

What are the advantages of having somebody from that type of program who stays for all four years? What are the advantages of bringing someone like that to your team?

“Playing for a guy like Tom Izzo for four years can be nothing but good. He’s a terrific coach and he’s a mentor to the young guys he has. We have tremendous respect for the program and Adreian’s been raised the right way, and hopefully we can help him continue his development as a person and a player. Again, he fits the values and the way we want to play.”

Last year you go with Lucas and Dennis, guys who you need to develop and can have an impact somewhere down the road, is Adreian a guy who can come in and contribute immediately?

“We’re trying to develop everyone. I think Kyle Korver got better last year. I think DeMarre Carroll got better last year. We’ll want Dennis and we’ll want Adreian to get better as well. That’s a pillar for us, having a strong player development focus, and we feel like we do a good job with that. Another good challenge for our group and we look forward to that.”

Edy Tavares. Did you get a chance to look at him a lot with Lucas and Mike [Muscala] in Spain?

“You know, Walter is an interesting player. Obviously his size is unique, but he’s also a guy that’s a very hard worker and a young player and only been playing for a few years. We felt like it was a good risk to take, and we look forward to helping him develop going forward.”

“He’s made great progress over the last couple of years as it relates to his athleticism, and he’s an interesting player. He’s a kid that will work hard and do the things that he needs to do and 7'3", 260 pounds, we felt like with where we were picking, it was a very good opportunity for us to try.”

The two picks that you made, what can you tell us now that you have a draft as a whole, were there chances to do other things [with those picks]?

“There were lots of conversations throughout the league on different ways to move up, move down, move around, move a player. In the end, I feel like in the first round getting a big who’s got pretty good college experience that can play the way we want to play, and in the second round Walter is a very interesting player, and if we can help him develop we might have something unique. Lasty. Lamar is a player that just knows how to play basketball. Smart, good feel for the game. Good passer, and he would fit into our system in regards to just his ability to see the court and pass the ball.”

Three years in, with all the picks you’ve made, and bringing in Coach Bud and installing a system, where do you feel you are?

“It feels like I’ve been here for a short time. I think in some ways it hasn’t been three years. It’s been a lot of change over the last year in establishing an identity in who we want to be and how we want to play, and I feel like we made great progress with that last year and we need to keep chipping away at that. Continue to build an even stronger identity and get better at that, and get good players. At the end of the day, this is about players. The system that we play, all of the things that we do hopefully puts them in the best position to succeed, but we have to get good players.”

danny-ferrys-post-draft-quotes

Danny Ferry's Post-Draft Quotes

The 2014 NBA draft is over, so how did we do?

Media members and experts from around the Internet weigh in with their draft grades:

Yahoo's Kelly Dwyer loved the Adreian Payne pick.  As he pointed out, Payne will fit perfectly into Coach Bud's system as a big man who can spread the floor.

Assuming Payne can step in and fill a frontcourt role player position immediately, Zach Harper will have nailed it with this perfect grade.

The only thing keeping Adam Fromal from giving Atlanta an A here was the need for a wing player.  Getting it with Lamar Patterson late in the second round earned high praise.

The only knock on Payne (the only player analyzed in this report) is his age. Somewhat ridiculous that we mark a player down for graduating, but it makes sense considering the opportunity younger players have to develop.

They liked the Payne pick, but they're worried about Tavares, calling his pick a bit of a risk because it's all upside. Time will tell.

Chad Ford, like many others, sees nothing wrong with any of the picks.  He thinks Edy Tavares will stay overseas, but if he develops and can come over eventually, this grade may end up being low.

USA Today's Adi Joseph didn't dislike any of the picks but said he wanted to see the Hawks fill a need on the wing before adding to the frontcourt.

A bonus for Adreian Payne's outfit, which was deemed as one of Sports Illustrated's wins of the night.

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Hawks Draft Grades From Around The Web

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks selected Michigan State forward Adreian Payne with the 15th overall pick in the first round and Walter Tavares, a native of Cape Verde, with the 43rd overall choice (second round) of the 2014 NBA Draft.

Additionally, the Hawks acquired the draft rights to Pittsburgh guard/forward Lamar Patterson, the 48th overall pick, from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a Brooklyn 2015 second round draft pick (via Atlanta).

A four-year letterman at Michigan State, Payne finished his career as the Spartans’ all-time leader in blocked shots (141) while becoming one-of-nine players in school history with 1,200 career points (1,232) and 700 career rebounds (735).  He was a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, as a junior and senior, while garnering Second Team NABC and USBWA All-District accolades last season.  As a senior, Payne averaged 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 blocks in 28.1 minutes in 31 games (.503 FG%, .423 3FG%, .790 FT%).  In 138 career games, the 6-10 forward averaged 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 20.0 minutes (.526 FG%, .409 3FG%, .755 FT%).  Additionally, he played for USA Basketball in the summer of 2013 at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia. 

As a result of his efforts in the community, he was honored at the Wooden Award Gala following his senior season with the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s first-ever Outreach Award.  Payne was born February 19, 1991 in Dayton, Ohio. 

“We want to play with pace and space - Adreian is someone that can do both from being able to run the court and compete on both ends, along with being able to shoot the basketball,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ferry. 

Tavares, a 7-3 center, has played professionally for four years (2010-14) in Spain with Gran Canaria (Spanish ACB league) and Union Baloncesto La Palma (LEB Silver league).  This past season with Gran Canaria, he averaged 6.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 20.7 minutes in 35 games (.593 FG%, .722 FT%).  Tavares split time between Gran Canaria’s teams in the Spanish ACB and Spanish LEB Silver in 2012-13.  He played for Union Baloncesto La Palma (LEB Silver) in 2011-12 after competing for Gran Canaria’s youth team in the Spanish EBA league from 2009-11.  Tavares was born in Maio, Cape Verde on March 22, 1992.

“Walter is an interesting player who is a very hard worker,” Ferry said.  “He’s made great progress over the last couple of years and we look forward to helping him continue to develop.”

The 6-5 Patterson played at Pittsburgh from 2009-14, seeing action in a school-record 148 career games (starting his final 102 contests).  He was named All-ACC Second Team as a senior, after averaging team highs of 17.1 points and 4.3 assists, while adding 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.6 minutes (.441 FG%, .388 3FG%, .754 FT%) in 36 games.  For his career, he averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.5 minutes (.435 FG%, .369 3FG%, .723 FT%).  He is one-of-three players in school history with more than 1,000 points (1,410), 500 rebounds (588) and 400 assists (427).  Patterson was born August 12, 1991 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“Lamar is a player that really knows how to play, he’s smart and has a good feel for the game,” Ferry said.  “He’s a good passer and fits well into our system.”

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Atlanta Hawks Select Adreian Payne and Walter Tavares In 2014 NBA Draft

With the 15th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected big man Adreian Payne from Michigan State. Payne is an exceptionally skilled offensive player and will provide the Hawks with another big man that can stretch the floor. He shot 50.3 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three-point range on 3.4 attempts per game at Michigan State.

“We want to play with pace and space, and Adreian is someone that can do both,” Hawks GM Danny Ferry said. “From being able to run the court and compete on both ends, along with being able to shoot the basketball, he fits the way we want to play. Along with that, Michigan State guys are guys that we like. They play with a high level of competitiveness. It’s a program that we greatly respect and obviously he’s been raised the right way by Tom Izzo and Michigan State.”

“Yeah, I’m very excited that I can continue to play my game and stretch the floor and play inside and out,” Payne at his media availability in New York after the draft said.

Payne’s measures in at 6'9¾" and 240 pounds with a 7'4" wingspan. He has the size to play against bigger fours down low on defense, and he can create mismatches on offense with his floor-spacing and shooting. With the Hawks’ affinity for bigs that can shoot and space the floor, Payne makes a lot of sense in Coach Bud’s offensive system.

“He’s a stretch big,” Ferry said. “He’ll be able to shoot and open the court up for our guards and everybody in general. That’s something we value.”

“It’s definitely going to help, playing into my strengths,” Payne said. “Just being able to be team-oriented and not just relying on one guy to go out and do everything as a team-oriented game. It’s not just offense, it’s definitely defense.”

Ferry and Coach Bud frequently talk about looking for high character players, and Ferry noted that Payne’s character was certainly something they looked at.

“He’s a good young man,” Ferry said. “We look forward to getting to know him even more. Coming from a program like Michigan State and being around Tom Izzo and the values that program has, and playing in a style that we think fits the style that we play. I think he’s a good fit for what we like to do.”

“From Michigan State, we have a toughness,” Payne said. “I’m going to just bring toughness, hard work, and I’m going to play hard every game and in practice.”

The Hawks have a strong frontcourt pairing of Al Horford and Paul Millsap already, but Payne can fit in as a rotation guy early to provide the Hawks with an extra offensive option off the bench.

“It’s great I’m able to be around some great guys, and guys that compete at a high level. I can look at them, and they can show me the ropes,” noted Payne. “I’m ready to get out there so I can compete.”

The Hawks will pick again with the 43rd pick in the second round. 

Hawks draft Payne

Danny Ferry's Post-Draft Quotes

Hawks Draft Grades From Around The Web

Atlanta Hawks Select Adreian Payne and Walter Tavares In 2014 NBA Draft

Hawks Select Adreian Payne With 15th Pick