Atlanta draft

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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.”

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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

The Hawks drafted Walter Tavares in the second round of the NBA Draft Thursday night. He's unique in that he has only played basketball for five years, and he's 7'3" with a 7'9" wingspan.

Tavares is also a semi-regular in Spanish commercials, or so it would seem.

A quick Internet search produced these two gems, the first one featuring the 7'3" big man climbling into a Toyota Yaris (after simply resting his elbow on the roof!), and the second shows him appearing (briefly, pay attention at the :09 mark) for a city bus commercial.

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Meet Walter Tavares. He Does Commercials

During the 2014 NBA Draft, Hawks TV will be simultaneously broadcasting live draft coverage from Philips Arena, which can be seen on Hawks.com.

Hosted by Jessica Taylor, coverage will include interviews with the following players, front office personnel and staff members:

- President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry- Head Coach Mike Budenholzer- CEO Steve Koonin- Center Mike Muscala- Voice of the Hawks Steve Holman

Also included will be live look-ins from the Hawks Draft Party on the Philips Arena court, as well as draft updates, analysis of Hawks picks and recurring social media updates.

Fans can post tweets, Facebook statuses or Instagram photos related to the draft using the hashtag #HawksDraft for a chance to be featured live.

Coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET on Hawks.com and runs through the end of the draft.

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Hawks TV Covering Draft Live On Hawks.com

With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at Tyler Ennis (G - Syracuse) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Tyler Lashbrook (@lashy).

Ennis is best at getting his team in an offense. He has a number of advanced ball handling moves, and he uses them to navigate through pick-and-rolls. He's a very skilled passer and he does a really good job of taking care of the ball, something rare for a guy so young.

He isn't very good at finishing around the rim, which I think has to do with his good-not-great athleticism. Don't get me wrong, he's a good athlete, but not when you compare him to starting NBA point guards. I also wonder about his ability to defend one-on-one. He produced a nice steal rate, but I just don't know because he played in Syracuse's zone.

How do you think his game translates to the NBA?

The NBA is pick-and-roll heavy and Ennis should adapt to that immediately. He isn't a great shooter, but he isn't by any means broken and he should only get better.

What style of play do you think he'd be most comfortable in?

He can really adapt to any style, so long as he has shooters surrounding him. He's very good at finding guys on the perimeter either out of the pick-and-roll or in isolation. I also think he has the ability to play for a team that plays at any pace as he's good both in transition and in the half court.

What NBA player would you compare him to?

That's tough. Some weird combination of Jameer Nelson and Jrue Holiday.

What do you see as his NBA ceiling (All-Star/Starter/Spot-Starter/Rotation Player)?

Fringe All-Star. At worst, he'll be a serviceable backup point guard, which I think is a pretty good floor in the middle of the first round.

What was his most memorable performance from this season?

His game winner against Pitt was probably the most memorable moment in college hoops, but the performance I remember most was against N.C. State in the ACC tournament. Syracuse lost, but Ennis was a boss on both ends.

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Scouting Profile: Tyler Ennis

With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at KJ McDaniels (F - Clemson) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Tyler Lashbrook (@lashy).

McDaniels is behind only Andrew Wiggins as the best athlete on the wing in this draft, and he has the perfect frame (6'6, 6'11.25 wingspan) to defend small forwards. He used that frame and athleticism to put up huge numbers on the defensive end (1.1 steals, 2.8 blocks per game). He's extremely active on the offensive glass and scored over 20 points per 40 minutes, despite being pretty raw on that end.

He isn't a non-threat from behind the arc, but he still isn't a reliable shooter from deep, and he isn't a good enough ball handler to create much more than straight-line drives. He improved as a passer in his junior season, but he still turns the ball over more than he registers assists. He's a freak athlete, but his skills still haven't caught up.

He'll be able to defend immediately on the wing, but it's going to be tough to play him, if he doesn't become at least a reliable jump shooter.  I am, however, encouraged by his 84 percent stroke from the free throw line. I typically believe that's a good indicator whether or not a guy can learn to shoot, so that's good.

He'd work best on a team that likes to get out and run, where he can best use his athleticism.

A better Jeffrey Taylor/shorter DeMarre Carroll. He plays with that relentless Carroll style. But he's not nearly the shooter Carroll is at this point.

He could become a spot starter on certain rosters, but he's most likely a rotation guy.

I remember him dominating Notre Dame on both ends of the floor in the middle of the season; the best part was that he hit several long range shots.

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Scouting Profile: K.J. McDaniels

With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at Dario Saric (F - Croatia) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie).

Dario Saric was both the MVP and leading scorer of the Adriatic League (basically an amalgamation of former Yugoslav republics), as well as its Finals MVP after leading Cibona to their first title in team history. Outside of possibly Nikola Mirotic (whose rights are owned by the Bulls), Saric is the best young player in Europe right now at 20 years old -- and one of its best players period. That was proven best in the Adriatic League final, where he showed off his entire game scoring 23 points, gathering 11 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists.

Saric's main strength is his basketball IQ. He's one of those guys who is always in the right place and making the right decision. That manifests itself most in his passing ability, which is unmatched among big men in this draft. He'll immediately be a weapon in outlet passing (if he's able to rebound initially -- we'll get to that in a second) and from the high post. He's also an immensely skilled and coordinated athlete. The term "applied athleticism" -- the athleticism that one is actually able to utilize in game situations -- is one that is overused, but Saric gets the absolute most out of his abilities and he is a solid athlete.

His weaknesses are things that make his translation questionable, so I'm going to kind of answer those two things together. He's 6'10, but only 225 lbs with very average length, so he'll need to get a bit stronger. He's athletic and big enough to defend 3s, but might struggle against 4s because of his strength and length. However, he has something of an inconsistent jumper which makes him more of a point forward-4 than a small forward. He's a bit of a tweener, and that can scare people.

It's worth mentioning that we don't know a ton about how he is off the ball because he was often so on-ball with Cibona. He was basically their LeBron James, and that's not something that he's likely to be in the pros, especially immediately. Saric could be a great player in the NBA, or he could end up back in Europe in four years. I don't think that would be the case though, as I buy his skill set working in the NBA.

As a comparison, I'd probably look at a Lamar Odom. Odom wasn't a fantastic athlete, but he was a smart one who knew how to use his athleticism to get where he wanted.

He's a smart, point forward who will need the ball in his hands to succeed. He needs to go to a system that will allow him to possess the ball. A place like Philly that could let him develop would be ideal. Maybe somewhere like Orlando that doesn't yet have a major usage guy. Basically, he just needs a coach that will allow him to be him.

I think his ceiling is probably a borderline All-Star if he ever fully develops the jump shot. He could be a ~20/5/5 guy and it wouldn't surprise me, but my guess is that he probably settles in as a 14/4/4 guy in the Nicolas Batum mold. His floor is probably something like an Earl Clark, a guy who had immense ball skill coming in but never really got the coach to allow him develop. I have him at 8th on my big board, and I think he's the end of the "this guy has a real, legitimate chance to be an All-Star" tier.

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Scouting Profile: Dario Saric

With the draft fast approaching, we will be taking a look at potential draft prospects with writers who have covered the prospects in college or -- in the case of international prospects -- spent a great deal of time scouting them. Today we’ll look at James Young (G/F - Kentucky) with the help of SB Nation NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie).

James Young is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft, and he's something of a project. His best game this year given the competition level probably came against Florida the first time they played, when he knocked down seven of his 10 shots, including four of five from 3, and scored 19 points. He dropped 20+ points nine times, but never with the type of efficiency that he displayed against what was consistently the best team in the country this season.

Where Young excels is as a jump shooter. His shooting form is pristine, and he gets excellent elevation on his jumper. He's an incredible athlete, and has great length and height for both wing positions. Athletic shooters can make quite a career in the NBA, so it's not hard at all to envision him working out well.

His weaknesses though have to do with those strengths. Young was a shooter that only shot 35 percent this season from 3, although that has more to do with the fact that he was the only spacing option that Kentucky had this past season with the Harrisons, Julius Randle, and Willie Cauley-Stein. He had to take a lot of contested outside jumpers just to keep defenses honest, which slightly depressed his percentages. I'd envision that these will leap in the pros. He already has NBA range (or at least as much as any NBA prospect does).

But that's not his biggest problem. His best way to fit in the NBA is as a "3 and D" guy, but he's not a good defender yet. At all. He doesn't get after it on that end, and doesn't seem to have great instincts there. Of course, most NCAA prospects have poor defensive instincts coming out of college. That's just kind of the way it is. They could come along for Young, and he could be fine on that end. But defensive lapses just seemed more common for him than other guys, and a lot of the time it was effort-related.

Given his athleticism and shooting, his game is extremely translatable, especially once he is put into a slightly better role in the NBA than he was in college. Assuming the shot falls more consistently as I expect it to, I can't see him failing to the point where he doesn't reach a second contract quite yet.

He's athletic and young enough to the point where he could develop into a Richard Jefferson-type that can both score by shooting and by getting to the rim with his athleticism. Or he could be an big shooting guard like a Klay Thompson. Or maybe he ends up like a C.J. Miles, more of an instant offense in small doses off the bench shooter.

My guess is that he's closer to the Miles level than peak Jefferson level, but who knows. Young is only 18 and hasn't really been used in a way to maximize his talents yet. I have him at 15th on my big board, just outside the lottery. I tend to think shooting is the easiest thing to project into an NBA role, so Young at worst probably ends up as a solid role player.