NBA Draft 2011: 10 Players the Atlanta Hawks Should Consider

After the Chicago Bulls shattered the Atlanta Hawks' dreams of somehow winning an NBA championship during this past season, Atlanta has to move on and look at next season. 

Jamal Crawford may or may not be back with the Hawks as he is eligible for free agency next season, so for the purposes of this slideshow I'm going to assume that he departs for another city while the rest of the Hawks major contributors to indeed stay in place. 

This year's NBA draft class is rather weak at the top, but there is solid talent to be found throughout the second round. 

Here are 10 players that the Hawks should consider with the No. 48 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. 

Keith Benson

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MILWAUKEE - MARCH 19: Keith Benson #34 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies posts up Gary McGhee #52 of the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second half during the first round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Bradley Center on March 19, 2010 in M

As a center for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Keith Benson displayed a great offensive game but didn't have the defensive skills to go with it. That's why he's being projected to go right around when the Hawks are picking. 

Center is one of the weakest positions on the Hawks' roster as the position is currently manned by some combination of Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia with a few other players thrown in for good measure. Don't be fooled into thinking Al Horford is a number five because he's much better suited as a power forward.

Benson would be an immediate contributor for the Hawks, who would be thrilled if he could average anywhere near the 17.9 points he put up per game at Oakland.  

Gary Flowers

A great scorer at the small forward position, Gary Flowers averaged 18.8 points and 7.7 rebounds during his senior season for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. 

Flowers really blossomed during his final year at college and hopes to continue to develop as he makes the jump to the next level. He's a very quick and athletic player, as shown by the fact that he just posted the top vertical jump at the NBA draft combine. 

The forward should go around the middle of the second round, which conveniently happens to be where the Hawks' No. 48 pick sits. 

Andrew Goudelock

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HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 01: Andrew Goudelock #10 of the College of Charleston passes the ball in the 2011 Reese's College All-Star Game after practice for the 2011 Final Four of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Reliant Stadium on April 1, 2

If Jamal Crawford leaves Atlanta via free agency, the Hawks are going to need to find another guard that can come off the bench and score points in bunches. 

Although rather unheralded because he played for the College of Charleston, Andrew Goudelock could be that guy. 

Thanks to his stellar shooting ability, Goudelock averaged 23.7 points per game during his senior season for the Cougars. But he also possesses good passing ability, which is a skill necessary for any point guard. 

Ravern Johnson

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NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 14: Ravern Johnson #2 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs reacts against the Kentucky Wildcats during the final of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena on March 14, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Kentucky won 75

Another player that should be on the board when the Atlanta Hawks finally get to hand in their pick to David Stern in the second round, Ravern Johnson possesses both great size and shooting ability from the two guard spot. 

Johnson stands 6'7" but that doesn't hinder his silky-smooth jump shot at all. That was pretty clear as he scored 17.6 points per game during his senior season at Mississippi State. 

The guard who can also play small forward needs to add some strength to his fragile frame, but he's quite skilled and athletic. 

Travis Leslie

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 18: Travis Leslie #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs dunks the ball in the first half while taking on the Washington Huskies during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 18, 2011 i

This pick would definitely be a fan favorite because of all the local Georgia students who rooted for the insanely athletic guard while he was a Bulldog. 

Travis Leslie made some enemies during the NBA draft combine when he said he was better than Tony Allen, but the truth is, he might end up actually being better. 

Leslie can jump as well as anyone and is the most athletic player to come out of college in quite some time. He'd be a bit of a project player because his basketball skills lag behind his physical skills, but they will come with time. 

The shooting guard would be worth drafting just for the inevitable SportsCenter Top 10 features. 

David Lighty

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: David Lighty #23 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs up court after a play against the George Mason Patriots during the third of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March 20, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio.

One of the best glue guys in this year's draft class, David Lighty is a very good all-around player currently projected to go in the late 40s of the 2011 NBA Draft. 

While playing for Ohio State last season, Lighty averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game while serving as the player that truly made the Buckeyes tick. 

Glue guys are invaluable on NBA rosters and the Hawks don't really have one to call their own. 

Jereme Richmond

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 18: Jereme Richmond #22 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shoots over Tristan Thompson #13 of the Texas Longhorns during the 2k Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 18, 2010 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris McGrath/

I'm normally not a fan of the Atlanta Hawks drafting project players because the franchise notoriously doesn't give young players enough playing time. Sometimes it seems like it takes injuries to force the Hawks' hand, just like we saw with Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague during the NBA playoffs. 

But Jereme Richmond could be an exception to this trend. Richmond didn't put up big numbers during his freshman season at Illinois, but his potential is still off the charts. 

He's as athletic as they come but still very raw on both ends of the court. Ideally, he'll spend a lot of time learning on the bench or in the D-League before he's asked to contribute at the sport's highest level. 

Trade Up for a Center

Another option for the Atlanta Hawks could be to trade up and select a potential All-Star at center. Yes, I'm thinking about Enes Kanter. 

The Hawks have a very attractive trading chip in Josh Smith and they might be best off if they trade the mercurial forward. As good as Smith is, he sometimes has a tendency to think he's a guard and tank Atlanta's hopes of winning a game. 

Al Horford is quickly proving to be the guy that the Hawks should build around, so Smith isn't invaluable to the team. 

Getting rid of him and receiving a top pick in return could be a great deal if Kanter is what the top pick turns into. 

Trade Up for a Small Forward

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 26: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats looks on from the bench against the Connecticut Huskies during the west regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 26, 2011 in Anaheim, Cal

Another option is trading Josh Smith for a top pick and going the small forward route. 

As you can probably tell by the picture, I'm thinking about Derrick Williams here. 

Williams emphatically stated during the combine that he was nothing, but a small forward who may occasionally be asked to step into the game at power forward. The Arizona Wildcat is one of the few "sure things" in the draft and the Hawks could use one of those. 

This seems very unlikely to me, but I wouldn't mind seeing a big change in Atlanta because it seems as though the same roster has been around forever and has peaked. 

Best Player Available

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 13: Kyle Singler #12 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during the first half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the championship game of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 1

The final option is one available to every team. 

After all, it is possible to just draft the best player left on your draft board and hope he turns out to be valuable regardless of what you actually need. 

If someone like Kyle Singler free-falls on June 23 and is still available when it's the Hawks' turn to pick, they shouldn't think twice before pulling the trigger.