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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Inside camp
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HAWKSVILLE - Whatever you think of Hawks coach Mike Woodson, and I hate to even go there knowing the quick-witted cruelty that’s so prevalent around here, no one can accuse the man of being inconsistent.
The first thing I heard him say when I hit the practice court today was, “Nobody is in shape. You can’t run for five straight minutes and we’ve got to play 48. It doesn’t look like anybody did anything this summer.”
That’s four straight years with Woodson singing that song on the opening day of training camp.
“He says it every single year,” Marvin Williams said with a smile. “I’d be worried if he said something else. But we’re good. We know we’ve worked hard. But the first day of camp always brings it home for you.”
Woodson softened his stance when he addressed the assembled media after practice, toning down the rhetoric after cranking it up throughout the portion of practice we were allowed to view.
“For the most part guys were in tune to what we were doing,” he said. “But I always look at the first few days of camp from a conditioning standpoint and see who did some work in the offseason. And I thought this time last year we were a little ahead of pace. That’s not to knock any of the guys’ effort, because when you start camp everybody is excited and they give effort. But bodies fatigue because we’re doing a lot of running the first few days as we start to prepare for preseason games.”
MORE FROM MARVIN: Woodson did mention that the expectations for Williams this season have been raised, as they are for all of the players. But Williams in particular is a player Woodson has his eye on (mostly because of the position he plays and how crucial it is with so many of the league’s top talents lining up at small forward).
“I think with Marvin, when you’re a small forward in this league and average 15 points in your third year, his numbers have to go up for us to be successful,” Woodson said. “He and I have talked about it. And I don’t think he’s the type of player that will shy away from a challenge. I expect that his numbers will rise this year. He needs to be probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 or 19 points this year. Each year he’s grown as a player and has gotten better from an offensive standpoint. But it’s not just offense. That’s a strong position he’s playing and your opponents are strong offensive players as well, so you’ve got to take pride in defending and rebounding the ball, too. We’re expecting all of those things from Marvin. And I would shortchange him if I didn’t expect all those things.”
LINE OF THE DAY: Woodson let all the players know that any player that plans on shooting a 3-pointer this season better be in the gym either before or after practice working with shooting consultant Mark Price or assistant coach Jim Todd.
The players were on the floor in a giant circle doing their post-practice stretches as he was talking and Joe Johnson raised his hand so he could speak. “I don’t plan on taking any 3’s this year coach,” he said, igniting a chorus of laughter that even Woodson couldn’t help but join.
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Morris eager to mix it up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HAWKSVILLE - While the rush excitement on media day included first looks (for many people) at the familiar names and faces that helped the Hawks to the playoffs last season, Randolph Morris held down his corner of the room in relative obscurity.
That’s not an easy task for a man that stands 6-11 and 275 pounds, but since signing his free agent deal with the Hawks over the summer Morris blended in as well as anyone.
While appearances by his more high profile teammates made a bigger splash during summer workouts, it was Morris that made it the weight room and gym every day during the offseason.
“I didn’t have nothing else to do,” Morris said and then laughed. “Seriously, though, I’m trying to make my mark. I had to be in here every day. I had to go to work. I had to be back in this gym to get my game right.”
No one was happier than Morris to get on the floor for the start of the contact work of training camp (the first official practices started 10 minutes ago). When he targeted the Hawks during the early stages of free agency, he pointed to this morning as his first real chance to make an impression.
“The opportunity is what I make it,” Morris continued. “That’s why I’m going to continue to work my hardest and try and get in where I fit in.”
Morris didn’t have the same opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation in his previous NBA stop, in New York. With a roster stocked with high salaried big men and the cosmic dysfunction that plagued the Knicks over the past few years, his initial voyage into pro basketball was an adventure, to say the least.
“Every team has its own vibes and it trickles down from the management and the coaches and how your infrastructure works,” Morris said. “Right here, it’s just a totally different set up and one that fits where I am right now. So if I just work, grind every single day and bring that lunch pail with me at all times, I think I’ll be able to get where I want to be this season.”
I’ll have Day 1 updates and observations this afternoon, so stay tuned.
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