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September 2006
Sneak peek at new faces
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t know if it’s the smell of the gym or if I’m just anxious for training camp to start, but can we get started already?!
I made another pit stop to the Hawks’ practice court this morning. It was a fact-finding trip as well as yours truly just being a snoop and wanting to see who’d already made it back to town. There was a good crowd, many current players and most of the guys who will be on the training camp roster.
There’s nothing major to report beyond the fact that Speedy Claxton was there working out, busted finger in the cast and all. Josh Smith was there, too. And I can verify the added muscle (he said he’s up to 240 with an eye toward shedding at least five during training camp). Tyronn Lue showed up as well, looking fit, trim and toned up (said he’s down to 177, his lightest weight since college) for his second full season with the team.
Al Harrington even dropped by after most of the full court runs were over; he’s heading to Indiana in the morning but wanted to get some shots up one last time before leaving town.
But I was honestly more interested in the new faces on the floor, the guys who’ll round out the training camp roster. The Hawks have just 13 players under guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season. So theoretically, there’s room for two more guys.
Most teams elect to leave a roster spot or two open to maintain some flexibility once the season starts. I expect the Hawks to do the same. But there are some guys on the training camp roster that will make them think hard about that. Here they are, in alphabetical order (with some general observations):
Cedric Bozeman, 6-6, 207, guard: The former UCLA star impressed on the Hawks’ summer league team and has been in and around the practice floor each and every time I’ve been there this summer. He can play both guard spots and even some small forward. But the Hawks are stacked at his spot; so making the team will take some work.
Andre Brown, 6-9, 245, forward: Brown is a classic power forward with plenty of experience. He’s explosive, too, as he showed with numerous dunks and dunk attempts over people Monday. He’ll push the young guys (Shelden Williams especially) during camp.
Lionel Chalmers, 6-0, 180, guard: You might remember this guy from Xavier’s NCAA tournament run a few years back. He was the explosive point guard that teamed up with Romain Sato and carried the Musketeers to within a game of the Final Four. He’ll help out while Claxton recovers, but has Lue and Royal Ivey blocking his path.
Kaniel Dickens, 6-8, 215, forward: This former Idaho stars epitomizes the life of those NBA training camp “tweeners” who, for whatever reason, bounce around from training camp to training camp and minor league to foreign league with the occasional call up to the NBA. He seems to have everything you’d want from a player except the guaranteed contract. Go figure.
Matt Freije, 6-10, 240: More than any other guy I saw Monday, this former Vanderbilt star (who spent time his rookie year with the New Orleans Hornets) will make it tough to send him home. Freije has the size, skills and experience to make a roster, provided he stays healthy and there is an opening. He can stroke it from deep and nasty enough to go to work inside. Keep an eye on the former second-round pick.
Andreas Glyniadakis, 7-1, 280: He’ll no doubt be the biggest guy in camp. A second round pick (No. 58 overall) of the Detroit Pistons in 2003 and a training camp participant in 2005, the Greek big fella makes you take pause and take notice of him. He can shoot it, like most international big men. And he’s not afraid to mix it up, he showed as much Monday and in the NBDL last season. His size alone will make him hard to ignore.
Beyond that, we’ll just have to wait until next week before we know anything else.
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Coaching genius is relative
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our good blogging friend Astro Joe raised a great question regarding the significance of coaching at the professional level and the individual tutoring that should and must go on, even at the professional level.
I think his question should be viewed in a larger scope, though. Not just the Hawks or the NBA but in sports in general. Is it quality coaching or talent that paves the way to success?
Obviously, it always helps to have heaping doses of both in order to achieve that cosmic chemistry that produces championship-level success. But if determining which is more important were a scientific process, which it certainly is not, I think most people would agree that they’d rather go to the field, floor or whatever the playing surface, with superior talent as opposed to what is perceived as “superior” coaching.
After years of watching sports at every level and covering them for more than a decade, I’m still not comfortable making a broad generalization about which is more important. On a case-by-case basis, it’s relatively easy to assess where a particular team is lacking. But generally speaking, there’s truly no easy answer to the question.
The media (yes, we’re a large part of the problem) is prone to overstatement when it comes to the importance of a coach’s impact. But if you check the roll of coaching greats through the years, many of their success stories was accompanied by ultra-talented players that aided in the cause.
If you don’t buy that, check all the “genius” coaches, in all the major sports, who are trying to revisit that “genius” these days with teams that can’t match the talent of their glory years. Phil Jackson, Steve Spurrier, Bobby Knight and the NBA’s beloved Larry Brown (who is unemployed right now. but we all remember his ugly tenure with the Knicks) come to mind as examples of my theory that coaching greatness is always a relative thing.
Look no further than Charlie Weis and Notre Dame’s flameout over the weekend against my crew (Michigan 47, ND 21). Weis was a genius at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. By 4:05 even the Notre Dame faithful were wondering if they’d gone too far in crowning their latest savior the new Rockne.
The point is, coaching genius is a fragile thing when you’re dealing with comparable talent.
(Sorry for the wrong turn down college football lane, but it was a pretty good weekend for Maize and Blue types like myself.)
Hawks already in training camp mode
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Made my way over to the practice court at Philips Arena Wednesday for a sneak peak to see who was doing what with training camp a couple of weeks away. Most of the usual suspects you would expect were in attendance – Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, Royal Ivey, Shelden Williams, Esteban Batista, Solomon Jones were the Hawks players on the floor.
It’s easy to see why the hopes are so high about Marvin’s second NBA season. As reported from summer league play in July, this guy is playing a different brand of basketball. He’s so much more confident and physical than he was as a rookie, playing with that nasty streak the coaching staff loves and continues to try and coax out of him. He was working on Solomon for a good part of the action I saw (though Solomon gave it back in kind a bit later). Marvin was putting the ball on the floor and going to the basket aggressively. He got on a roll at one point where he scored five straight times with sticky defense in his face during a fairly rugged half court game. It was impressive stuff.
It’s obvious to me right now that in order for the Hawks to make the leap from the bottom of the standings that they desire, they’re going to need major contributions from the trio of Marvin, Josh Smith and Shelden Williams. I know, that’s hardly breaking news. But after watching him in person, there’s reason for me to believe that Marvin is going to be able to deliver on his part. He’s still a pup in terms of his NBA development. And he’s still got plenty of room to grow into his body. But if he’s come this far this fast, the future could be filled with exciting moments for Hawks fans.
So what’s this junk about Josh Childress not being very athletic? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that nonsense on this blog and elsewhere. I’m not sure what qualifies as athletic, but if playing above the rim consistently doesn’t qualify a person as athletic I don’t know what does. Childress goes above the rim at will. What he continues to struggle with is finishing, probably because he’s usually not as strong as the guys he’s battling with around the rim. But to say that he’s not athletic is just a mistake. He showed off plenty of athleticism Wednesday. While he doesn’t look like he’s bulked up considerably from last season he does appear to have maintained the 210 pounds he played at last season remarkably well. I still say he’s an underrated piece to what’s being assembled in Hawksville.
Shelden and Solomon both appeared to be much more comfortable since we saw them last (both guys had their struggles and triumphs during summer league but not enough of either one to make any lasting judgments about what’s to come). Royal Ivey was his usually gritty self, it’ll be interesting to see what his role is now that Speedy Claxton is set to run the show. The Ecuadorian Executioner (we’ve got to think of a nickname for Esteban) was too busy draining jumpers - he made the game winner in the last game of the day - to do his usual dirty work. But he knows that his NBA future depends on his outworking other guys and being the most physical player within a 10-county area. As mentioned before, Solomon Jones turned a few heads. He’s going to make it really hard to keep him on the sidelines too long because he’s so athletic and so unbelievably long (he had one block that had everyone in the gym buzzing for five minutes).
Before anyone asks, Josh Smith had a date with his eye doctor Wednesday, so I didn’t get to see him on the floor with the rest of these guys. And I missed Salim Stoudamire by a day (I was told he took a spill during Tuesday’s workout and took Wednesday off to rest). I’ll have to make at least two more trips to the practice floor before camp to get a few more updates.
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Future Hall of Famers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week’s road trip with the Wilkins family has to be one of the highlights of my time in the business. They were as gracious as they were entertaining. I don’t want to give the Basketball Hall of Fame any free publicity, but if you’re a die-hard hoops head and historian you have to make it there at least once.
Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Dominique and I had an interesting discussion on the ride up as it pertains to future Hall of Famers currently playing. The debate was revived later in the weekend with executives from several other teams and other reporters — it’s an endless conversation. When he was doing his thing, everyone knew that Dominique and many of his peers would one day be enshrined. But which players from the today’s active crop of superstars can you say is definitely headed for Springfield as of September, 2006?
We started with Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, Garnett, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and realize that guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony would appear to be on the path three years into their careers. But remember how tough it is to get in, and then ask yourself that same question. Who, as of right now, can you say is for sure bound for the Hall?
What about Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Yao Ming, Grant Hill? Remember that the Hall of Fame uses a players’ entire career and not just their time in the NBA as a measuring tool, so think beyond what guys have done in the pros.
Remember that there are fantastic players who have had truly fantastic careers that will never get in to the Hall of Fame.
Behind the scenes with Dominique
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I must be crazy. A 20-plus hour ride on an RV on the day after Labor Day? I know, some of you are probably wondering what in the world I was thinking. But when you have a chance to roll with a soon-to-be Hall of Famer and his family (the ceremony is Friday and stay tuned all week and through the weekend for our coverage), you can’t turn that down. So here I am, on my way to Springfield with Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins and his crew. We’re only about an hour into the trip but a few things are already abundantly clear:
1) We’re riding in the Lexus of RVs. I don’t know the make or the model of this monster but this thing rides smoother than it should on these ragged highway roads. And for there to be this many people (I think our official count out of Dominique’s driveway was 14) in such close quarters, we’re doing well. At least no one has gone for anyone else’s throat yet. Ha. This does have a Road Rules feel to it, so stay tuned as the roadside drama unfolds.
2) The Basketball Hall of Fame needs to relocate to Gwinnett County. Or at least somewhere within a two-hour drive of Atlanta. According to the Internet directions, this trip should take anywhere from 16 to 19 hours. I’m guessing we don’t get there a minute under 24. I could be wrong but with this many people and children to boot, we’re going to have to stop somewhere for a meal and some leg stretching.
3) I have one of the best jobs in the world. My friends say it all the time but today it hits home. Despite reservations about a road trip this long (my rule is if it’s over two hours catch a flight), could there be a better way to go? I was surprised at Nique’s willingness to let the media (there are cameras from NBA TV and local stations filming various parts of the journey) have a behind the scenes peak at what has to be one of the most important times of his life. But he was adamant that we come along. I don’t know that I would be so gracious were the roles reversed. He and his family have been beyond gracious in this case. The Hawks should thank their lucky stars he doesn’t hold a grudge for them trading him all those years ago.
4) Speaking of the franchise, why haven’t the Hawks leaned on Nique the way other franchises have with their greatest players over the years? The Lakers are still cashing in on Magic’s smile and Larry Bird gets a standing ovation from the Boston crowd even when he brings his current team (Indiana) into town to smoke the Celtics in the playoffs. Sure, those guys and other legends like them have championship rings on when they show up. But only the fans born before 1985 remember those glory days. Nique remains the most recognizable face to be associated with the franchise yet he’s not used to market or sell this team the way you would think. Strange.
5) It’s already clear who the toughest member of the media contingent is here. While most everyone else has already fallen asleep, I’m wide-awake and ready to play some cards with anyone willing to lose their shirt.
You snooze, you lose
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The effort was apparently fine. It was the execution that was missing in action.
And I’m talking about my attempt to rise at 3:30 a.m. to catch team USA’s attempt at reaching the gold medal game of the World Championships and their inability to do so - Greece popped them 101-95, rallying from a 12-point deficit in the process.
Your faithful scribe crawled out of the bed at 5:55, a couple hours late and having somehow slept through that cell phone alarm that was supposed to wake me up at 3:30. The U.S. team didn’t fare much better, trailing by as many as 14 points before making it close in the final four minutes. But they were unable to overcome their inept shooting and Greece’s blazing-hot second half start - the winners nailed 14 of 18 shots, including all four 3-pointers, in the first five minutes after halftime.
A top three finish is what I predicted in this space last week, with an outside chance of winning the gold if they could shoot straight when it mattered most. But that plan for gold went up in smoke (a disastrous 9-for-28 from beyond the 3-point line and 20-for-34 from the free throw line can do that). But rather than shred the team for their inability to “restore the order” of basketball, I’ll appreciate Greece for the champions they are. And they are the reigning European champs.
Gone are the days of the U.S. dominating the competition, even when we send a team full of wonderfully talented NBA stars as we did this time. I watched the competition carefully, and not just the U.S. games, and the style of play in Japan is so drastically different than what our players are used to that to expect world domination on talent alone is beyond naive. That’s not an excuse for the U.S. contingent, it’s just an observation of what should be obvious.
It’s hard for me to find fault with USA Basketball’s selection process and they prepared for competition with exhibition games just like the rest of the field, so anyone looking to blame the system is searching in vain. But I’m sure all of this will be nit-picked like crazy, same way it was after the 2002 event in Indianapolis (I covered that one and it was a far greater disaster for Team USA than Friday morning’s setback). But again, I say that’s useless. Take your licks and get ready for the next time.
It’s time to start giving these other teams the credit they deserve. And it’s also time to realize that we’re going to need more than two months to prepare for these international competitions that we expect to dominate. We better get this team together for practice and scrimmages whenever we can between now and 2008 Olympics if we have any dreams of winning gold in the near future.
