AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2005 > October > 10
Monday, October 10, 2005
Not just another preseason this year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hawks had two scrimmages Sunday, wrapping up the week-long two-a-day portion of training camp with a bit of a bang. It’s clear after watching them all week that this Hawks team is significantly deeper than last year’s crew. And that the collective athleticism, shooting prowess and overall energy is better than last year.
But the Hawks coaches are doing their best to stop mentioning last year. They don’t want to put that burden on this team, particularly with so many new faces in the mix. They’re also working in some new wrinkles, both offensively and defensively, that will be a departure from what they did last season.
How do you gauge the success of all this newness prior to the start of the regular season? Most teams don’t play all-out during the preseason, but for a team like the Hawks treating the preseason like something other than what it is (games that don’t count) could be beneficial.
Should the Hawks abandon conventional wisdom and try and win the preseason NBA title or use it as a lab to work out their issues in time for the real thing?
