The Hawks and the 2007 NBA Draft

Of course, it’ll be years before we really know whether the Hawks made the right decision with power forward Al Horford and point guard Acie Law. Will they regret not taking point guard Mike Conley with their No. 3 pick? Will Acie Law turn out to be another shooting guard playing the point? Will Al Horford turn out to be another Shelden Williams?

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford is lukewarm on the Hawks’ decision to draft Horford and Law. On the Horford pick:

He’s the third best player in the draft, so you can’t fault the Hawks here. He’s better than any other power forward they have. He could be a poor man’s Karl Malone. The Hawks did need a point guard, and I think Mike Conley was worth the No. 3 pick in the draft, so I would’ve taken Conley. But — unlike Shelden Williams last year — this isn’t a bad pick.

And on Law:

The Hawks finally select a point guard. Law is fearless and ready to play now. I don’t think he’ll be a star, but he’ll be an important part of this team ... unless the team trades this pick. The Hawks have spoken with several teams about trading for a veteran. So we’ll see.

I share Ford’s caution. I want Horford to be the dynamo that people say he might become in the NBA. But I also share Ford’s enthusiasm for Mike Conley; I saw Conley play in high school, and we all saw him march Ohio State to the NCAA championship game as a freshman. I think he has a chance to be a very special player.

The one thing about drafting Horford: The Hawks now have a severe logjam at the 3, 4, and 5 spots, without a true center in the bunch. Is there a trade on the horizon?

What do you think? Did the Hawks make the right moves with Horford and Law? Or should they have picked Conley? How will this year’s draft shake out for the team?