Drew gets his guys in Hawks' draft

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Larry Drew spent the past six seasons on the periphery of the Hawks' draft room as an assistant coach.

He noticed things changed when he was at its center.

“The biggest difference is when we are picking everyone looks at you and says, ‘Do you like him or not?'" Drew said late Thursday at the conclusion of his first draft as the Hawks' head coach.

Drew said he answered with an enthusiastic “yes” when the Hawks targeted their two draft picks. The team ended up with guard Jordan Crawford of Xavier and forward Pape Sy of France while also making a pair of transactions that freed up cash.

While Sy is a long-term prospect, the Hawks hope Crawford can return more immediate dividends. He averaged 20.5 points as a sophomore to lead the Atlantic 10.

The Nets selected Crawford for the Hawks with the No. 27 pick after they acquired the No. 24 selection from Atlanta.

“You can't ever have enough scorers,” Drew said. “When you have a team of athletes and a guy who commands a double-team in Joe [Johnson], who we hope to get back [in free agency], it's always good to have a guy who can put the ball in the basket.”

The Hawks were high on Crawford after scouting him during the college season and were among those teams impressed when Crawford averaged 29 points in three NCAA tournament games. His performance at the predraft camps and workouts did nothing to dissuade the Hawks from believing his scoring ability will carry over to the NBA.

The Hawks compare Crawford to Jamal Crawford, their veteran guard. Jordan Crawford won't have the same impact as Jamal Crawford, who won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award last season, but Drew said their scoring styles are similar.

Crawford, 21, began his collegiate career at Indiana but transferred after his freshman season in the wake of NCAA rules violations involving former coach Kelvin Sampson. Crawford sat out the next season per NCAA transfer rules and said he grew up during that time.

“The talent was always there, but I was not mature enough off the court,” Crawford said.

Sy is a mystery

There was little detailed information available about Sy before the draft. He played for Le Havre of the France's top league, but hardly registered on the NBA scouting circuit.

But the Hawks' European scouts liked Sy, who paid his own way to Atlanta for a workout. He was still a mystery to Drew when he showed up.

“I’d never heard of him,” Drew said.

The Hawks had Sy in a workout session with forwards Darington Hobson of New Mexico and Stanley Robinson of Connecticut.

“I thought those guys would eat him up,” Drew said. “But this guy challenged those guys. He didn’t back down.”

Drew liked Sy so much he was nervous other teams would figure out his potential. The Hawks weren’t sure if Sy, 22, had worked out for any other teams.

Atlanta measured Sy at 6-7 and projects him to play either guard position.

Cash considered

By trading down from the 24th pick to No. 27, the Hawks saved about $190,000 in salary for the two guaranteed years on Crawford's contract. The Hawks also will hold options for a third and fourth season under salary rules for first-round draft picks.

The Hawks sold the second-round pick (No. 31) they acquired from New Jersey for close to $3 million, according to a person with access to league financial information. The person did not want to be identified because the Hawks did not release the information.

Hawks general manager Rick Sund said the team decided to take the money instead of drafting a prospect because they can use the extra cash to acquire veteran players to round out the roster.