Chad Ford bestows praise on Atlanta Hawks for 2014 NBA Draft

In the aftermath of the NBA Draft process, there is a rush to “grade” each and every team for what those chose to accomplish with their slotted picks. This season is no different, and while the FanSided mothership also granted the Atlanta Hawks with a positive review, the notoriously stingy (at least on the Hawks) Chad Ford of ESPN has weighed in by bestowing praise on the organization.

Here is what Ford had to say about Danny Ferry’s actions on Thursday evening:

"The Hawks went with a couple of seniors and a huge upside pick. Payne, who was only drafted this low because at 23 he’s old for the draft and may have less room for improvement, gives the Hawks a big man who can stretch the floor and play down low. Patterson is the sort of blue-collar swingman that the Hawks love; he does a little bit of everything, but has zero sexiness to his game. Both guys contribute right now, which is what the team went into draft day wanting.Tavares has crazy wingspan and huge hands — the raw tools to be a dominant big man. But he’s really far away. The Hawks will let him continue to develop in Spain and see what they have down the road."

Obviously, the headliner of the night came when Ferry chose to select Michigan State power forward Adreian Payne, and it is easy to agree with Ford’s assertion that he can immediately stretch the floor with flexibility. Deeper than that, though, Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson appears to be a Hawks-like player (and a favorite of ATL All Day’s own Carlos Collazo), and Walter Tavares is a long-term project in the mold of 2013 first round pick Lucas Nogueira.

What do you think about what Danny Ferry and the Atlanta Hawks looked to do on Thursday night?