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Swish Appeal 2014 WNBA community mock draft: Who should the Atlanta Dream select with the eighth pick?

Moving on in our community mock draft, the Atlanta Dream are on the clock with the eighth pick.

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

So after two slower votes for the last two picks, we'll go back to standard polling format.

Chelsea Gray was the Storm's selection at #7 after solid arguments were put forward for both she and Bria Hartley; replacing her in our poll below will be Nebraska's Jordan Hooper.

After you make your pick, be sure to post a comment explaining why it's a good pick. We'll run this pick until 2 p.m. PST tomorrow.

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You are the General Manager of the Atlanta Dream. You do not have final say on basketball matters - the owners do - but you believe they will concur with your judgment.

There is a lot of pressure on the Dream to win now. The general manager and head coach positions have been separated for the first time, and both you and the head coach are considered high-profile hires. The team is clearly willing to spend money to win a championship. You signed Matee Ajavon in the off-season, a player best known for shooting a lot and not hitting much.

Historically, the Dream has been good enough to win on the strength of three players. The team lives and dies by Angel McCoughtry, who can be a handful sometimes but when she's on, she's on. Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza are two of the best post players in the WNBA. In the Eastern Conference, this combination has been good enough to win three of the last four Eastern Conference championships. But when facing teams that have deeper benches or skill at every position, the Dream evaporate when it comes to the Finals. Atlanta's record is a sorry 0-9.

Interviews indicate that the Dream don't plan to change the philosophy that has served them well since 2008 - run the ball right down the other team's throat. If anything, this year will be better, strong, faster than previous years - "Run With The Dream" isn't just a slogan, it's a way of life. Any pick you make will have to mesh with this philosophy and players that can't run don't belong on the roster.

You have some issues. The Dream have never had a great three-point shooter, and they've looked for one for six years. The head coach believes that a decent long range shooter can be had in the later rounds, but it would be nice to pick someone up in the first round that can hit the three. If the Dream just want another shooter who can throw down the three, they could sign homegrown player Tyaunna Marshall out of Georgia Tech - Marshall hits 3-pointers at a 36.8 percent clip (albeit on relatively few attempts), and another possibility is Louisville's Shoni Schimmel (more on Schimmel below) who hits them at a 37.2 percent clip. Both are used to playing in (relatively) fast offenses.

If the Dream believe that the real need is a point guard after Alex Bentley's departure, there should be some talent left at the #8 spot. Duke point guard Chelsea Gray hit 50 percent of her shots in a truncated season that ended with her breaking her kneecap. Gray averaged 7.2 assists per game in her senior year, and she has height at 5'11. Bria Hartley out of Connecticut has fewer assists per game, but she was surrounded by players that could make their own shots and she has a championship pedigree a mile long. Another good choice could be Schimmel, who is really more of a shooting guard than a point guard, but the position isn't unfamiliar to her.

Then again, it just might be a question of shoring up the bench, bringing in a set of rookies whose primary function will be not to mess things up while McCoughtry/Lyttle/de Souza are chugging Gatorade. Or could the Dream go back to the Penn State well by picking guard Maggie Lucas?

So that's it. If you're Atlanta, then who do you select?

We are awaiting your pick in the poll below as well as your thoughts on who needs to be added to our list for future picks in the comments.

For more background on all of the draft's top prospects, check out our 2014 WNBA Draft prospect watch storystream.