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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Around the rim
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - I know the US-Angola game in Beijing this morning is a tough sell for most, but having missed most of Sunday’s game with China, it was my first opportunity to see Team Kobe in action.
And while I still disagree with the idea of making Kobe the centerpiece of this team (I’d play through LeBron “Little Emperor” James and Dwyane Wade and let everyone else get in where they fit in), I want to see what this team is capable of doing on this stage.
A 97-76 runaway on an inferior opponent is what you expect. But around 9:16 a.m., the broadcast kicked into high gear for me as NBC analyst Doug Collins started riffing on the Hawks and why they passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams in the 2005 draft in favor of Marvin Williams.
I’m not sure who he has doing his research, but they need to polish up their skills and make sure they get the story right before going on the air.
Collins insisted that Joe Johnson wanted the point guard job that summer and the Hawks’ pursuit of him was predicated on Johnson being allowed to play the point. “He played off the ball in Phoenix with Steve Nash and in order to play with the Hawks he wanted to have the ball in his hands,” Collins said, speaking like someone who was actually involved in the process (which he, of course, was not).
And for the record, that’s not even close to right.
The entire Joe Johnson at point guard was a hybrid idea from former Hawks general manager Billy Knight and coach Mike Woodson. Since Johnson had played that spot at Arkansas (he wasn’t listed as a point guard but I was covering the SEC back then and he was absolutely the Hogs’ point guard, the same LeBron is the Cavs’ point guard these days), the Hawks’ brass at the time felt he could play a similar role here.
It was a fine theory but faulty in practice, as we all saw over the course of Johnson’s first half season in a Hawks uniform. It was way too much pressure on your best player, best defender and clutch-shooter to have to worry about handling the ball that much.
The reason the Hawks didn’t take either of those point guards, and they worked both of them out, is that they were convinced that they needed a veteran point guard (huge mistake). They didn’t think Williams or Paul was ready to lead a team from the first day of training camp (another huge mistaken evaluation).
In fact, my notes from interviews with Knight, Woodson and other members of the front office staff at that time went something like this: “Paul’s just too little. He’s going to be a liability on defense and he’s not a great shooter. They liked Williams better, he’s bigger point guard, but his body type worried them. He didn’t look to be in great shape during the workout. Not sure he’s a good enough shooter for what we need, though.”
What I can say with certainty is that neither Knight nor Woodson was sold on those point guards. That’s why they passed on them. And that’s how the Hawks went from the potential of one of those guys to spending cash for Speedy Claxton (after a failed bid for Sam Cassell’s services in the summer of 2006).
Acting as if Joe Johnson’s desire to play point guard led the Hawks to pass on both Williams and Paul, however, is a complete fabrication (not to mention a figment of DC’s imagination).
While we’re on the topic of point guards, try this crazy scenario out and see how you feel about it now.
The Hawks had a trade on the table during training camp before last season where they could have moved Josh Childress to Toronto for their backup point guard at the time, some guy named Jose Calderon.
Knight was ready to pull the trigger but the Hawks balked at the last minute (why has never been made clear but one of my best spies has always maintained that Knight was prohibited from making the deal by his bosses for reasons my spy refuses to divulge to this day).
Can you imagine how different things might be right now5 if that deal actually went down? Just food for thought while we’re pondering recent history and what might have been.
TURBULENT TIMES: I traded emails with Zaza Pachulia yesterday and he admitted that he’s been stressed since the conflict in his homeland (Georgia) began last week.
He said the situation is “crazy” and that the people back in his homeland are rightfully in a “panic.”
He’s said he’s doing his best to support them from here and is hopeful that the provisional cease-fire of hostilities reached earlier today would lead to peace.
I can’t fathom what he’s going through right now, but if ever a guy needed the support of the people around him, Zaza needs it now (and he said his teammates have been extremely sensitive to that and supportive of him).
ANOTHER GUARD?: The question I’ve gotten more than any other the past 48 hours concerns the Hawks’ roster.
“Are the Hawks done?”
Done is a strong word, this far away from the start of training camp.
It’s clear to me that the Hawks have to add at least one more veteran guard (one who can swing between both positions in a reserve role) to the roster before the season starts, as was written in Saturday’s blog.
I’m not sure who that big guard might be, but that’s clearly what the Hawks need. Another big man never hurts. But if the Hawks had to toe it up tonight, they’d have what they need to compete.
The additions of Thomas Gardner and Othello Hunter should be a warning shot for guys on the fringe of making this roster. There will be new blood floating around training camp and they’ll be hunting for jobs. So if you’re not on safe ground contractually, you better be prepared to fight for your spot.
