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Sunday, July 15, 2007
Third time’s the charm!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SALT LAKE CITY - For the first time in three trips here for summer league with the Hawks, there is a positive consensus from outsiders about the Hawks’ draft picks.
Everyone I’ve talked to here the past 48 hours believes the Hawks did the right thing on draft night. Not one person has knocked the Hawks for taking Al Horford or Acie Law, which is a major departure from the past two trips here when both Marvin Williams and Shelden Williams were panned by many.
It might not seem like a big deal elsewhere. But it’s a stunning development, to not hear negativity about the Hawks’ draft while I’m here with so many different people (scouts, coaches, executives, etc.) from around the NBA.
That doesn’t mean the Hawks are free and clear from scorn, though, because as you might imagine, the decision to deny their assistant coaches out of the final year of their contracts is one of the hot button issues being debated by NBA types here.
But I’m a bit tired of the drama (seems like we all have to endure something like this every single summer), so I’m moving on from that stuff and going to talk just about what I’ve seen from the players that will be on the Hawks’ roster come training camp:
Shelden Williams struggled during his first outing but played like a man among boys Saturday night. I don’t know that anyone should expect those types of numbers from him this season. But I think he’s certainly capable of posting close to a double double, even in 18-24 minutes per night. If he just cleans up the junk around the basket while he’s in the game that should be a realistic goal for him. Anyone expecting anything more (and that includes Shelden playing extensive minutes at center this season) is wishing for something that’s going to be extremely difficult for this guy to accomplish.
Solomon Jones was fouling machine in the first two games and really seemed to struggle with the burly jokers that populate many of these summer league teams. He seems like he’s still trying to catch up with the speed of the games here and in turn hasn’t had as many opportunities to block shots (his NBA calling card now and in the future) the way I’m sure he would have liked to in the first two games. As long as he keeps working hard to get stronger, he’ll be fine.
Al Horford’s been everything he was advertised to be. His attitude is fantastic. The guy doesn’t seem to be fazed at all by his surroundings, which is a task for most rookies when they get their first test of NBA competition. The most impressive thing I’ve noticed about him so far is what a great passer he could be. You can run offense through him because he knows how to work the angles in traffic. He’s going to present the Hawks with some interesting options in terms of playing combinations because of that passing ability.
Acie Law’s shot hasn’t been falling, but he’s certainly the floor leader he was advertised to be. He communicates well and isn’t afraid to bark at his teammates, which is a trait the Hawks have long needed in from a floor leader. I can see him providing quality minutes at point guard and he’s big enough to swing over and play some minutes at shooting guard when need be. Like Horford, he’s going to provide the Hawks some interesting options in the backcourt because of his versatility.
One of the best scenes I’ve witnessed out here so far was the four guys mentioned above piling into a minivan (driven by Hawks equipment man Zac Walsh) for a ride back to the team hotel after Saturday’s win over San Antonio. They were all laughing and relaxing like they’d been teammates forever. And it was totally natural. None of it was forced and they were doing all this without any of the coaches or management crew around, which lets you know that these guys are pretty comfortable in their own skin as well as around the guys that they’re going to have treat like family if they have any hopes of chasing that playoff berth.
It’s a good sign for a team that, if you remember, just two years ago struggled with chemistry issues between the youngsters and the veterans. That’s one issue I think the Hawks have moved on from in these last two drafts.
I’ll be curious to see how this entire bunch comes together during training camp (and you can bet that the 14 players currently under contract are the 14 that will be there on the first day of camp).
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