AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > June > 25
Monday, June 25, 2007
DREAMing!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our entire focus seems to be on Thursday night’s draft, as it should be. Al Horford and Mike Conley Jr. are making their stops through town today (workouts that will be reported on by ya boy Blog Z - yeah, after a few weeks of craziness he’s back - in this space and in the paper a little later), giving us all a little more to think about before we head into the final hours before draft night.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember being this anxious about any draft. I mean, we’ve always got our own ideas about what might happen. But seriously, I can’t remember stressing my brain like this in regards to a draft in years. It’s probably not healthy to have gotten this wrapped up in something we’ll have no control over … whatever, that’s never stopped anyone before.
But while we’ve been eyeballing these workouts, rumors and all other things draft, guys already under contract have been putting in work. Folks have picked on Josh Smith around here (and elsewhere) for his attitude and other perceived shortcomings. And he’s wisely ignoring his haters and going about the business of improving his game. He’s been in Houston going through NBA summer school with Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon as his sensei (me thinks young fella will have a few new post moves to unleash the next time we see him in game action). Smith is also working with Calvin Murphy to refine his outside game (we can only hope that pirated copies of this workout footage finds its way to youtube). And Smith is doing it all on his own, not at the behest of the Hawks or anyone else (which I think speaks volumes about how serious he is taking his development).
He’s without a doubt the Hawks’ most pressing offseason issue (draft included), because his immediate future will impact the Hawks’ bottom line (financially and in the win-loss column in 2007-08) more than anyone not named Joe Johnson. That’s why it is so important that he do exactly what he’s been doing with his summer. Players that don’t come back with a new wrinkle to their game from one season to the next will get abused by the guys that do.
After we finish up the draft and move into the free agency/summer league phase of the offseason, I’m planning on finding my way into at least one of these summer school sessions in Houston with a larger story planned on the “Under Construction” portion of Smith’s fourth year progression (he’s working with arguably the league’s greatest low-post technician of all time people). I’m also trying to dig up information on other guys, too. Because I know he’s not the only Hawk in the lab. Other guys are putting in the work as well.
And that’s one of the reasons why I have to temper my energy and enthusiasm regarding the draft. I think it’s natural for us all to get carried away with the this stuff since we roughly a month after the draft lottery to work ourselves into a frenzy regarding these prospects. Guys like Smith, though, will have to do the heavy lifting next season if the Hawks have any chance of ending their playoff drought at eight years.
I’m not suggesting we ignore the next 72 hours of draft hysteria. Not even close. I’m only suggesting that we try and put this stuff in its proper perspective. All that preaching aside, make sure you come back here Monday evening for my thoughts on Horford and Conley (hey, I’m not crazy. I know the draft pays the bills this time of year).
