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2012 NBA Mock Draft: Hawks Linked With Will Barton

With the Atlanta Hawks changing GM's in the final week before the NBA Draft, there's almost no way to know what the team's brain trust is thinking in terms of their No. 23 overall pick.

Does Danny Ferry have a set list of players he's bringing over to evaluate or is he ceding control to the front-office people who were originally working for Rick Sund? At the same time, because the draft begins to slip in the late teens/early 20's, much of Atlanta's decision will be made by the teams above them in terms of who falls to them.

At SI.com, Sam Amick has them taking Memphis SG Will Barton:

The Hawks like Barton, who not only can score but also fill up a box score. The Conference USA Player of the Year averaged 18 points (on 50.9 percent shooting from the field and 34.6 percent from three-point range), 8.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals last season.

Barton, a talented 6'6 175 shooting guard, has entrenched himself at the top of Tier 4, and unless a team in the middle of the first round falls in love with him, he's likely to be available for Atlanta.

Two of the players the Hawks have been linked too -- Washington PG Tony Wroten and Syracuse C Fab Melo -- are still on the board in Amick's mock, and if that stays accurate, the Hawks may be choosing between the three when their name finally goes up on Thursday night.

Read more on the NBA Draft and the Atlanta Hawks at Peachtree Hoops and our dedicated NBA hub page. As always, SB Nation Atlanta is your source for local sports news and analysis.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.