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Thursday, November 2, 2006
APB for Speedy, Smith and Shelden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If the Hawks have any chance of winning games this season, they’ll have to get more out of Speedy Claxton, Josh Smith and Shelden Williams than they got in the season opener. They were a combined 2-for-17 from the floor and finished with just eight points. But more importantly, they were hardly a factor in a game that was still in the balance with 10 minutes to play.
Claxton, obviously still rusty after just four live practices, never got into a flow. He knows better than anyone that his play is vital to the Hawks’ chances of knocking off teams like the 76ers, who certainly didn’t play a great game Wednesday night. He knows that performances from three starters like the ones Wednesday night will keep these Hawks from doing anything other than struggling.
“There’s no question it was frustrating,” he said after Thursday’s workout at Philips Arena. “Defensively we played a good enough game to win. But offensively we were [terribly]. And I’ve definitely got to put that on myself. I can do a whole lot more for this team. A whole lot more.”
Smith said Thursday morning’s film session was a rather enlightening. Sure, he lived through the struggles against the 76ers. But seeing them played back the morning after drove home the point the coaching staff has tried to make to him for weeks.
“I promise you I’ll be going to work inside from now on,” he said. “The inside game has to open up the outside game for me. And that’s just the way it has to be. We got some great open looks and just didn’t knock them down. But those aren’t high percentage shots. A lot of times it’s the easier shot to take and you get lulled into taking them. But you have to learn from your struggles and I promise you I have.”
Williams struggled mightily after playing so well in the exhibition season. Some of his problems Wednesday night can be traced to the typical opening night jitters for a rookie. But his ability to get into a good flow most nights will depend on how guys like Claxton and Joe Johnson play, mostly because he’ll be dependent on their play to find his niche.
“We came out as a team and didn’t shoot the ball as well as we normally do,” he said. “But we bounced back a bit in the second half. So it’s all really a learning experience. I just have to make sure and get better every game and learn from the mistakes that have been made. But it’s a process, you know, and I’m not going to sweat it anymore than that. It’s one game and one you have to learn from and move on.”
