AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2005 > October > 20
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Early impressions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hawks are unwinding this afternoon with their annual golf tournament — somehow the AJC’s version of Tiger Woods (me) didn’t get an invite. Let’s just say that none of these guys has a professional future in that sport. But it’s another chance for the Hawks to get their minds off of the tumult of the past few days and try and find some semblance of order.
They’re back on the road this weekend, weather provided, for two more preseason road games. The Hawks have spent so much time away from Philips Arena this preseason, it must be hard for anyone to know what they’ve been like. So in an abbreviated fashion, I want to give you a quick rundown on a few guys. We’ll do five today and five more each day until we get them all done.
Starting five:
Al Harrington — He’s been just about everything you could want from a veteran leader on a young team. He’s developing a nice chemistry with Joe Johnson, too, as they’ll have to work in tandem often as the Hawks’ primary scorers.
Marvin Williams — The prized rookie has had his moments, including a stellar effort in his last outing against New Orleans. The coaching staff has raved about his all-around game and believe that with some more work he has a chance to be something special. He’s filled in well for Josh Smith, who has missed the past three games with a sprained ankle.
Zaza Pachulia: The easy pick as the surprise of training camp. He might be Billy Knight’s true offseason gem — no one was expecting much of him, yet he’s showed signs of providing the inside presence the Hawks needed.
Josh Childress — Childress has arguably the toughest task of any player in terms of having to adjust to guarding smaller players. He was locked up with Chris Paul against New Orleans. But he’s rebounding and scoring the way he did at the end of last season, which is a great sign.
Joe Johnson: His critics will be sorry to hear that Johnson’s transition from wing guard to lead guard (point guard, whatever) hasn’t as rough as they predicted. Once Tyronn Lue gets back on the floor, it’ll be even more interesting to see what Johnson can do with another ballhandler who can create shots for others by his side. I know Lue is his backup, but the Hawks might be at their best this season when they’re playing together.
