AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 23
Monday, October 23, 2006
Weekend in Buckeye-ville
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since I’ve got an overload of observations and points to make from a long weekend, I won’t subject you to my usual lead-in blabber here. Without further ado, here is Monday’s saucy version of the five things we know right now:
1. Kaniel Dickens and Lionel Chalmers we hardly knew ye!
After almost four full weeks, you knew someone was going to be sent packing from training camp. I’ve done my best over the years not to get attached to these guys, these journeyman pros who logic tells us won’t be around come opening night of the regular season. But so often they’re the biggest cynics, and therefore the guys most likely to understand that while most of the guys in camp with guaranteed contracts treat every day like a job, to others it’s literally about putting food on the table.
Dickens is a seasoned pro, a guy who knows that in a perfect world he’d be judged simply on whether or not he knew how to play the game and not whether or not he was a first-round draft pick or a summer leaguer who happened to catch someone’s eye long enough to snag a ticket to veteran’s camp. Chalmers never had a chance, not after that high ankle sprain snatched his early (and quite positive) momentum.
Who knows, much like Anthony Grundy a year ago, we’ll hear from these guys later on this season. The four training camp survivors — Andreas Glyniadakis, Cedric Bozeman, Matt Freije and Andre Brown — will continue to do battle for one of those open roster spots.
Anything is possible, people. Anything.
2. Someone in charge of scheduling at the NBA hideout has a great sense of humor.
How else to explain sending yours truly to Columbus, Ohio, for a weekend exhibition game? You don’t know mental anguish until you spend a couple days in the lair of your most despised enemy. I know those are strong words. But when it comes to me and the humans that call themselves fans of The Ohio State University, that’s the way it has to be.
I’d root for Lucifer’s All-Stars against the Buckeyes. For real. Not only did I have to contribute to the Columbus economy this weekend, I even trudged into the Horseshoe for a couple hours to view the Buckeyes’ demolition of Indiana (and yes, to all of you SEC lovers, you’ve got the rest of the country smoked when it comes to game-day atmosphere; that was the quietest 100,000-plus I’ve seen this side of Ann Arbor).
Lazy atmosphere aside, there should be no doubt that the best-looking football team not playing in the NFL resides in Columbus. The Buckeyes are monstrous and just as fleet-footed where it matters most. Now I need you all to cross your fingers twice for my Wolverines, ‘cause we’re going to need all the good mojo we can muster on Nov. 18 when we invade the Horseshoe. I got the ball rolling by shouting “Go Blue” as often as possible on my way in and out of the stadium. And you better believe I engaged anyone I could in a spirited debate about what’s going to happen on Nov. 18.
3. The best scene of the weekend.
Aside from the fantastic game between the Hawks and Cavs Saturday night, it had to be seeing the Hawks coaching staff out at a local restaurant Friday night while the Ohio State coaching staff sat a table over entertaining a recruit and his family. Without fail the Buckeyes coaches trotted out uber-recruit Greg Oden, sling and all, to greet the recruit. Little did Thad Matta and his crew know that an NBA coaching staff would be at Brownstone on Main (one of the finest soul food joints I’ve dined at in a while).
Hawks coach Mike Woodson is an Indianapolis native like Oden, so when they shook hands it was hilarious seeing Matta, with a smile a mile-wide on his face, gesture for the Hawks coaches to stay away from his prized freshman big man. If you’ve never seen Oden, think David Robinson at 18 or 19 but with a beard and perhaps even longer limbs. Oden’s a massive young man.
Hawks assistant coach Greg Ballard is no little fella himself — I believe he was listed at 6-foot-8 during his title-winning days as an NBA player. Oden is tall enough to eat a dish peach cobbler off the top of Ballard’s dome. As you’ve seen and read elsewhere, he’s already in possession of the NBA goods, from a physical standpoint. And if he’s one year and done in Columbus, he’s an absolute no-brainer for the No. 1 pick in next June’s draft.
4. Back to that Hawks-Cavs game.
So long as the teams involved are willing to go after each other the way these guys did Saturday night, charging fans full price for exhibition games isn’t a total rip-off.
When you’re best players log regular season minutes, it’s no exhibition game. And when both teams are acting like they’re playing for a playoff bid and not just to entertain the folks in a non-NBA city, it’s clear that there is more at stake than just pride.
I think the Hawks and Cavs were both trying to send a message. The Hawks want to show everyone they’re not going to be the doormat of the East, as some have predicted. And the Cavs were trying to show that they’re a legitimate East contender and not just a paper contender.
Cavs showman Damon Jones had a great line during one sequence in the second quarter when he ran by the Hawks bench and said, “I know [expletive] well we’re not losing like this to the Hawks.”
They were. And they can thank Joe Johnson and his crew for the loss. In trying to explain why Joe Johnson is such a special player, I offer his performance Saturday night as proof. Even on a night when his shot wasn’t falling early, he finds a way to impact the game (he finished with 10 assists and would have had several more had his teammates converted a couple more). Someone asked recently what I expect from Johnson this year? How about an All-Star caliber season.
5. Finally, it’s cutting time around the league.
I think the Hawks (and any team) would be wise to keep one eye on the waiver wire to see who might be floating around out there. The Nets have already let Jay Williams go and the rumblings in Boston are that Luke Jackson, formerly of Cleveland, could be a casualty because of the Celtics’ overload at his position.
My point is there are going to be several intriguing players who are simply caught in the numbers game elsewhere that cause me to take a hard look, were I the one making roster decisions.
