HAWKS REPORT

> CHILDRESS OUT: Marvin Williams thought he was seeing things Monday when his cellphone indicated he had missed a call from his good friend Josh Childress. While he kept in contact with his former Hawks teammate regularly via e-mail and text, they had spoken on the phone only a couple of times since Childress left for Greece. “I knew something had to be up if he was calling,” Williams said before the Hawks played Chicago on Tuesday night at United Center. Something was. Childress had sports-hernia surgery Tuesday in Philadelphia and will be out for six to eight weeks, providing an early return stateside, even if it is for a month or so. He joins a growing list of injured Hawks, former and present. Williams (concussion) and Al Horford (knee) are day-to-day, while reserve guard Acie Law IV is out seven to 10 days with a right quadriceps contusion.

> ON THE BIG SCREEN: Hawks players watched the inauguration on the Jumbotron at the United Center after shootaround practice Tuesday. Hawks coach Mike Woodson said the view couldn’t have been better from anywhere other than the National Mall in Washington. “It was a beautiful thing to see,” Woodson said. “All the guys got a chance to stretch out in the high-dollar seats and watch history unfold with Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

> SPECIAL DELIVERY: Hawks guards Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby had special shoes for the occasion, courtesy of Nike and its “Jordan Brand.” Both pairs of red, white and blue shoes were customized for each player, complete with their personal logos. The date, Jan. 20, 2009, was also included to commemorate the historical moment. “They look pretty good to me,” Johnson said before breaking into a wide smile. “Really good.”