DEL.ICIO.USNBA: ATLANTA HAWKS
Claxton thinks he’s done with Hawks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Mention Speedy Claxton’s name and there are questions. Lots of questions. What ever happened to the prized point guard acquisition from three years ago? Is he still on the team? Is he ever going to play again? What was Billy Knight thinking signing him to a four-year, $25 million deal?
Injuries have limited Claxton, 30, to just 42 games in uniform for the Hawks. All 31 of his starting assignments came during his first season, 2006-07. He was injured in training camp before the next season and hasn’t played in a game since.
Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images
Hawks point guard Speedy Claxton hasn’t played in a game since 2007. ‘This is the only place since I’ve been in the league where I really didn’t get to show the people of the city what I’m capable of.’
After months of silence, Claxton opened up about his status, his regrets and his future with the Hawks.
Q. What’s your current health situation?
A. I’m healthy. I’m fine. My knees are fine. It’s just a combination of bad timing for me right now. They have Mike [Bibby] as the starter. And Acie [Law] as a high draft pick as his backup. They also have Flip [Murray], and he’s having a great year playing some point and shooting guard. Those guys are all ahead of me on the pecking order, so there really is no room for me. I’m healthy. But I guess I’ll have to wait my turn if a couple of them were to go down.
Q. So you think you could play if needed right now?
A. I’ve been practicing for a probably a month now and I feel pretty good. Like I said, there are just no minutes for me right now. And I can’t be all that mad about it.
Q. There was talk earlier in the season that you might be on the verge of taking a medical retirement because of the condition [chondromalacia] of your left knee. What actually happened with all that?
A. It might have been discussed, but I was never going to throw in the towel. I believe in myself. I think I’ve got two or three good years left in me. I definitely want to play a couple more years and then maybe shut it down after that.
Q. Is the worst part of this whole deal that you’re going to be looked at as a guy who never lived up to the deal that brought you here?
A. That’s definitely the most bitter part of this whole thing for me. My time here has been all bad because of the injuries. This is the only place since I’ve been in the league where I really didn’t get to show the people of the city what I’m capable of. If you go around to every other city I’ve been in, from Philadelphia to San Antonio to Golden State and then New Orleans, the people loved me when I was there. But here, it was just bad timing. It was unfortunate. But it just didn’t happen here.
Q. How hard has it been to stay in the mix with this team and to stay involved when you’ve missed so much practice time and game time, including numerous road trips, trying to get healthy?
A. It’s tough, because this is the first time in my career when I haven’t been a rotational player. It’s very different. Very different. I’m used to having those off days when you come in for treatment and hang out with your teammates, and now I’m coming in and playing three-on-three with the younger guys, and that’s something I haven’t done since my rookie year. So it’s definitely an adjustment for me. I just try to stay positive. But even my daughter is pressuring me, wanting to know when I’m going to get out there and play [laughing]. It’s all out of my control, really.
Q. Bibby is a free agent this summer and you’re going into the final year of your contract, so this summer, you’re going to be valuable in many ways. Have you given any thought to playing elsewhere if you don’t see the opportunity for playing time here?
A. Definitely. I definitely have. I’m definitely prepared to do whatever it takes to get myself back on the court. And I definitely think it will be somewhere else rather than here. I think my time here is pretty much up.
