It’s almost time for lockout season, NBA fans! Tomorrow marks the highly anticipated expiration date for the current CBA, and the owners and players are so far apart that, well… let’s just say things aren’t looking good.

While day-to-day operations will almost surely be affected, and there might even be a shortened season, I’m still hopeful there will be a season.

I mean, honestly, guys like Kobe and LeBron weren’t meant to play in European leagues. What, where everything is so team oriented and structured? Where if you don’t practice, you don’t play? What would AI have done?

“If I can’t practice, I can’t practice, man. If I’m hurt, I’m hurt. I supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re sitting here talking about practice? Not a game. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. We talkin’ about practice. I mean, how silly is that?”

What would iso-Joe do in an environment founded on passing and where set plays rule the day?

And that’s just the basketball side of things.

Greece’s economy is going to pieces and citizens are rioting; a new IMF president was finally appointed after the former one was charged with sexual assault; Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is up to his elbows in corruption schemes.

Economic crises, sexual misconduct by high-ranking politicians, and corruption? How can we expose our players to such uncivilized, indecent atrocities? Because I mean, we don’t have any of those things here in the good ol’ United States ever… … …

So you see? Owners and players must come to their senses. We just can’t have a lockout and relegate our NBA stars to the European leagues.

A little too much espresso, and I’m feeling rather ADD this AM. Bits and pieces of Hawks news:

Recent draft pick, Keith Benson made his first appearance with the team Monday morning. Benson was joined by several free agents for a three-day mini camp at Philips Arena. While the team’s current roster won’t allow it to sign any free agents out of the camp right now, coach Larry Drew got a look at a number of prospects, including David Lighty. The Hawks had shown interest in Lighty, a shooting guard from OSU prior to the draft.

GM Rick Sund has expressed interest in re-signing center Jason Collins who will technically become a free agent on June 30 (although who knows what this really means, CBA status pending…) The team is less certain about backup guard/forward Damien Wilkins.

Some sad news regarding former Hawk Lorenzo Charles who was killed in a bus crash yesterday on Interstate 40. Charles played in 36 games for the Hawks during the 1985-1986 season. Limited information was released about the crash.

So this isn’t necessarily about the Hawks, but it’s Atlanta + basketball, and thus A-T-Elle Hoops.

Mark Price, who played point guard for Georgia Tech was inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame this past Saturday. Price played for the Yellow Jackets in the 1980s under Bobby Cremins and led the team to an ACC Championship his junior year. He was a two-time All American and four-time All-ACC during his collegiate career, and his jersey was retired by the school.

After playing for Tech, Price was drafted in the 2nd round as the 25th overall pick by the Mavs and immediately traded to the Cavs. Price spent the majority of his career with the Cavs and then one year each with the Bullets, Warriors and Magic at the end of his career.

Price embodies your good ol’ “set-out-to-prove-’em-wrong,”  feel-good sports story. At 6 feet, 170 lbs., Price defied critics who said he was too slow, too small and too deliberate for the NBA. Known as one of the league’s most consistent shooters, Price ranks among the league’s best in free throw shooting (90.4%) and three-point shooting (40%), and he still holds the Cavs’ all-time record for assists (4,206).

What’s more, Price is credited with revolutionizing the way teams respond to the pick-and-roll. Of Price’s contributions, former teammate Steve Kerr said:

“Mark really revolutionized the way that people attack the screen and roll. To me, he was the first guy in the NBA who really split the screen and roll. A lot of teams started blitzing the pick and roll and jumping two guys at it to take the ball out of the hands of the point guard. He’d duck right between them and shoot that little runner in the lane. Nobody was doing that at that time.”

Maybe there’s hope for the Jimmer yet in his quest to break NBA stereotypes…

Mark Price Highlight Reel:

The season is over, the draft is all done and CBA talks are at a standstill, but Hawks players are finding ways to stay busy in the community.

Al Horford

Al Horford’s second annual “Horford’s Hoopstars Basketball Camp” kicked off this weekend at Emory University. Among Horford’s coaches is recent LA Clippers’ second round draft pick, Trey Thompkins. Staff will teach basketball fundamentals to children between the ages of 10 to 18.

On his motivation for hosting the camp, Horford said:

“I think it’s important to get back involved with the community and just give back. I know a lot of those kids and their parents support the Hawks, they watch us play and it just makes me feel good to be able to come out here and show them a good time, show them a thing or two about basketball and make sure they have fun while they’re out there.”

Despite all of the rumors and phone calls prior to and during the draft, the Hawks couldn’t move up and stuck with their no. 48 pick. But it turned out to be a pretty good deal for the team as they went with center Keith Benson from Oakland University. Benson is the first player from Oakland to play in the NBA.

While the Hawks could have gone with a bigger name like Kansas point guard Josh Shelby who ended up going to the Grizzlies at No. 49, they stayed with their original plan and got a big man. I’ve got to say, I’m pretty pleased that Sund stuck to his guns and for once the team didn’t fold to the temptation of playing yet another round of Point Guard Roulette. We needed a center and we got a center.

And as the No. 48 pick in a relatively weak draft anyways, Benson is a good pickup for the team. At 6’11″ with a 7’4″ wingspan, Benson set school and conference records for career (363) and single-season (127) blocks.

The Hawks were pleased to have him, expecting him to go earlier in the draft. They watched Benson play various times and were impressed with what they saw.

“I thought we had some pretty good options when it came time for us to pick. Certainly, we did not think Benson would be there. We had him taken a little bit sooner, but we were very pleased that he was there and we were able to get him.” ~Larry Drew

And he already has ties to the city. Benson’s godmother is an anchor for local news station and his mother and grandfather both attended HBCUs in the city (Spelman and Morehouse).

“I’m really happy to join this Atlanta Hawks team. I think they have a bright future and I think I can contribute. I’m going to continue to get better and work hard for this team. I think it’s a good fit for me. They’re an athletic team and I think I can contribute to that.” ~Keith Benson

Keith Benson

Happy Friday, Hawks fans! Here’s a look at your news links for today:

• Hawks Draft Keith Benson at No. 48 – The Hawks pick up center, Keith Benson, from Oakland University in the second round of the draft. Benson is the first player from Oakland to go to the NBA, Examiner
• Atlanta Spirit Negotiations Continue – The Atlanta Spirit Group, which recently completed its sale of the Thrashers, continues negotiations with undisclosed parties for a potential sale of the Hawks, Sports Illustrated
• Josh Smith Trade Rumors Pick Up – While efforts to move Smith to gain a higher pick in the draft didn’t materialize last night, the team continues to consider its options with the forward. The Blazers and Magic are among the teams in the mix, AJC

Aaaaand the picks are in! International is the theme of the year, and David Stern probably had to spend all evening practicing pronouncing foreign names. Here are your 2011 NBA Draft results:

1. Cavaliers – Kyrie Irving
2. Timberwolves – Derrick Williams
3. Jazz - Enes Kanter
4. Cavaliers - Tristan Thompson
5. Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas
6. Wizards – Jan Vesely
7. Kings - Bismack Biyombo (will go to the Bobcats)
8. Pistons – Brandon  Knight
9. Bobcats – Kemba Walker
10. Bucks – Jimmer Freddette (will go to the Kings)
11. Warriors – Klay Thompson
12. Jazz – Alex Burks
13. Suns – Markieff Morris
14. Rockets – Marcus Morris
15. Pacers – Kawhi Leonard
16. Sixers – Nikola Vucevic
17. Knicks – Iman Shumpert
18. Wizards – Chris Singleton
19. Bobcats – Tobias Harris (will go to the Bucks)
20. Timberwolves – Donatas Motiejunas
21. Trailblazers – Nolan Smith
22. Nuggets – Kenneth Faried
23. Rockets – Nikola Mirotic
24. Thunder – Reggie Jackson
25. Celtics – MarShon Brooks (will go to the Nets)
26. Mavs – Jordan Hamilton
27. Nets – JuJuan Johnson (will go to the Celtics)
28. Bulls – Norris Cole (will go to the Timberwolves)
29. Spurs – Corey Joseph
30. Bulls – Jimmy Butler

Storyline of the night:

• International is in. Even before the draft, a lot of the focus was on international players like Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas and Bismack Biyombo. Without them, a weak draft would have been downright embarrassing. Four of the first seven picks call a country other than the US home. Is this indicative of the changing composition of the game? Ironically enough, if this whole CBA mess doesn’t clear up, looks like a lot of guys will be heading right back to Europe to play.

Surprises:

• The Cavs took Tristan Thompson over Valanciunas at no. 4. Thompson was expected to go at around 16 or 17, while Valanciunas was a highly coveted PF/C
• Brandon Knight taken at no. 8, despite being projected to go around no. 3
• Markieff Morris is picked over his brother Marcus

And just for fun:

• References to Jan Vesely’s smooth looks and “good taste in women”
• Klay Thompson will become the fifth son of Michael Thompson (first pick in the 1978 draft) to play in an NBA game
• The Morris twins were born 7 minutes apart and drafted 8 minutes apart
• Kawhi Leonard’s hands are referred to as “meat cleavers”
• Watching clips Kemba’s dance moves from when he danced at the Apollo. I couldn’t find that one, but here’s a look at his locker room moves instead:

The Hawks’ front office hasn’t exactly been very forthcoming about its draft strategy. 20 potential prospects were invited to workouts, although the names were not released. It was reported that the majority of the players were college seniors and only three or four were centers/power forwards, a position the Hawks are looking to strengthen.

Additionally, it looks like the team will be targeting a college senior rather than an international player. While they wouldn’t provide any players’ names, GM Rick Sund and Director of Player Personnel Dave Pendergraft did shed some light on the type of player the Atlanta is looking for:

“We would like to get a little tougher. [Kirk] Hinrich helped us in that area and that kind of trickled down to some of the other players. I always like shooting. Size, rebounding. All of those things. Maybe not one is more important than the other.” -Rick Sund

On how much playing time the rookie draftee might get:

“We are not approaching this like there is luck involved. We are approaching it like, ‘This is our pick and somebody we expect to make our team.’ And hopefully, if there is an injury, you can plug [the rookie] in there and they will be able to help.” -Dave Pendergraft

On the Hawks’ strategy with their No. 48 pick:

“The process in the second round, [since] the percentages aren’t all that high, is patience. We ask a couple different questions. Does he have one NBA skill? Another is, does he have size? Or is there a player that is a little bit opposite of ‘Do they one NBA skill?’ and do they have multiple skills? A lot of those guys, like Bobby Simmons, are jacks-of-all-trades; they do a lot of things good but nothing necessarily great. Those players do have an opportunity to make it as—and I’m using this in a positive way—to have more of a journeyman status over the years.” -Rick Sund

Just over 24 hours until Draft Day! Stay tuned for more.

And now for Part II of the Mock Draft Analysis. Not as many of the big names, but some interesting stories nonetheless. Click here for Part I.

16. Philadelphia 76ers – Jordan Hamilton, Texas SG/SF
17. New York Knicks – Tristan Thompson, Texas PF
18. Washington Wizards – Markieff Morris, Kansas PF
19. Charlotte Bobcats – Nikola Vucevic, USC C
20. Minnesota Timberwolves – Donatas Motiejunas, Lithuania PF
21. Portland Trailblazers – Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA SF
22. Denver Nuggets – Marshon Brooks, Providence SG
23. Houston Rockets – Tobias Harris, Tennessee SF/PF
24. Oklahoma City Thunder – Jeremy Tyler, San Diego High PF/C
25. Boston Celtics – Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech PG/SG
26. Dallas Mavericks – Reggie Jackson, Boston college PG/SG
27. New Jersey Nets – Josh Shelby, Kansas PG
28. Chicago Bulls – Kyle Singler, Duke SG
29. San Antonio Spurs – Nikola Mirotic, Montenegro PF
30. Chicago Bulls – Davis Bertans, Latvia SF

Thoughts? I’ve come across conflicting accounts about what the Sixers are looking for—a shooter? A center? Jordan Hamilton fits into the former category (18.6 PPG, 38.5% from 3-point range last year). Another possibility is junior Nikola Vucevic, a center from USC, one of the few at the position in this year’s pool. However, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the team issued a qualifying offer to fifth-year center, Spencer Hawes which may also play into their decision when the draft rolls around.

Markieff Morris, the twin brother of Marcus who Thomsen has going at No. 11 to the Warriors, is the larger of the two and would bring a significant defensive power to the Wizards. ESPN’s Sport Science compares the Markieff and his brother Marcus:

The Thunder’s predicted selection, Jeremy Tyler, is the first high schooler to appear on Thomsen’s list. He skipped his senior year and played two seasons overseas. It didn’t do him a lot of good—the power foward/center lasted 10 games in Israel and 33 in Japan—but he’s young (20 years old), has good size (6’11”, 263 lbs.) and a huge wingspan (7’5”). Not a bad combo for NBA scouts and coaches looking to shape him into a powerful professional player.

It’s getting down to the wire! Coverage begins on Thursday at 7 PM EST on ESPN.

Usually, in the days leading up to the draft, there’s a flurry of trade talk and action with teams trying to edge their way to a higher pick. But between a combination of one of the weakest drafts in history and an expiring CBA, teams have become risk averse and are perfectly happy to sit on their haunches.

There was some talk about the Timberwolves shopping around their Number 2 overall pick, and the Cavs had expressed interest, but this doesn’t seem to have much traction yet.

Atlanta isn’t exactly abuzz with excitement either. The Hawks’ first pick doesn’t come until the second round at Number 48, and they don’t have many options to trade up in the next few days before the draft. General Manager Rick Sund also commented:

“There’s probably less (talk among teams) with regards to the uncertainty of the CBA and people willing to pull the trigger. In prior years a few days before the draft, there’s some consummation of trades. There’s just as much dialogue, but not much action.”

However, the Hawks could use their pick to bolster their shooting game, given that 6th man Jamal Crawford will likely become an unrestricted free agent. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Atlanta try and get a legitimate big man that would allow Horford to play forward, but centers seem to be in short supply this year.

Stay tuned for more on the draft, including Part II of the Mock Draft Analysis.