‘Hard work' Drew's theme as Hawks open camp

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks players shouted 'hard work' while breaking the huddle following practice Tuesday morning

Judging by the first day of training camp that's going to be more than just a slogan under new coach Larry Drew.

The Hawks started the morning with a timed mile run, followed by an intense practice of nearly three hours. The Hawks were to practice again Tuesday night, with Drew promising more drill work.

Players described the morning session as intense with no wasted times between drills. The portion of practice open to reporters featured several full-speed, three-man weaves with Drew barking at players to pick up the pace.

"Every day is going to be a struggle," Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. "But we've got to get through it."

Drew wants the Hawks to play at a faster pace this season while running his motion offense and also playing tighter man-to-man defense. Conditioning is key to those goals.

"That's the way all of our practices will be, whether we are here [90 minutes] or here for an hour," Drew said. "They will be high intensity because I'm just a firm believer in getting your work done and getting out."

The mile run was something new for players more accustomed to sprinting the court than jogging long distances. Josh Smith and Mike Bibby said they hadn't run a mile since middle school.

Drew said all of Atlanta's power forwards and centers met his requirement to finish in less than seven minutes. Not all of the smaller players made their mark but Drew declined to reveal specifics.

Still, he said he's pleased with the team's conditioning overall.

"I'm surprised that guys came to camp in pretty good shape," Drew said.

Drew was promoted to head coach this summer after serving as Mike Woodson's assistant for the last six years. He said his familiarity with players is helpful but the camp serves as a chance for them to get to know him as the head coach.

"They are not quite sure about me now that I moved over to the other seat, which is OK with me," Drew said. "Each practice that we come out here we are going to do things with a purpose. There will be no shortcuts."

Drew names captains

Drew named Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Smith as captains. Johnson and Mike Bibby were the captains last season.

Drew said he made Smith a captain with the hope that it will prod him to play with his emotions more under control. Smith gave up on plays at times last season because he was upset with officials or how the game was unfolding.

"Some of those behaviors that he has had on the floor, you just can't do that anymore," Drew said. "I am hoping that giving him more of a responsibility will steer his thinking in a whole different direction."

Smith said he's ready to be a captain.

"I am an emotional player, obviously," Smith said. "Everybody knows that. But [I] just kind of have to hold my emotions together and just play basketball and stay positive throughout the game, no matter what happens."

Injury report

Guard Pape Sy sat out practice with a sore back. Sy said it started bothering him about five days ago and hasn't responded to treatment. He was to visit a doctor Tuesday afternoon.

Forward Mo Evans hasn't been cleared for contact as he recovers from August surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee. He said he's still building strength in the knee and is probably another two weeks away from being cleared to play.