This is the fifth year that Hawks center Al Horford has taken the court for the start of training camp, which pretty much makes him an old pro.
But he said he didn’t feel like one Friday.
“I usually don’t get nervous about these kind of things, but I was nervous,” he said. “Maybe it’s just excitement. It’s been a while.”
The Hawks opened training camp on the day the NBA’s lockout officially ended. The usual optimism and smiles associated with the first day were magnified by the relief of getting back to work after the stoppage.
New faces included veterans Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse. There was a general positive vibe associated with a team that returns nearly all of the key players from a team that last season advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third consecutive year.
“It feels really good,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said while surveying the busy practice floor.
Yet underneath the veneer of excitement was a feeling among Hawks veterans that, even though they have plenty of good pieces, they need more of them. The fact that a short training camp is followed by a 66-game season with few rest days only adds to the urgency of adding depth.
So Drew and his players ticked off their wish list: Another shooter would be nice, as would a center who can score in the low post and defend. With Kirk Hinrich injured, there’s no experienced point guard to back up Jeff Teague.
The Hawks return seven of their top eight players from 2011-12, including Hinrich.
“What we’ve got now is definitely solid,” Hawks guard Joe Johnson said.
But solid may not be good enough for the Hawks to break through to the East finals.
“It all depends on how this ends up adding up,” Horford said. “I feel like we need to add a couple more guys. We will see who else we bring here. It’s up in the air with everything that is going on.”
The free-agency period opened the same day as training camp, so teams will add players on the fly. The Hawks started Friday by signing veterans McGrady, Stackhouse and center Jason Collins.
Collins returns to the Hawks after he was effective as a defensive specialist last season when they played teams with powerful centers. Drew said he would give Stackhouse, whose contract is not guaranteed, “a very close look” during camp to see if he fits in the Hawks’ plans.
McGrady is in line to play a major role. It has been a while since he’s played at an All-Star level, but Drew said he can help.
“Certainly he gives us something we can really feel good about, a guy his size with ballhandling skills and a guy who can still make plays off the dribble,” Drew said. “We have always been a team that relies on our versatility, and getting a guy like him gives us even more versatility.”
McGrady can play shooting guard or small forward. Drew said he also would use McGrady as a “point forward” to run the offense.
McGrady said he’s ready for whatever Drew needs.
“I’m a scorer. I can initiate the offense,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. I’m a basketball player.”
The Hawks also signed center Keith Benson, their second-round draft pick in June. He joins Pape Sy, their second-round pick in 2010, among a collection of young prospects on the camp roster.
Drew said the Hawks are in the market for a “knockdown” shooter, and Horford said the team would add another center. In the meantime, Atlanta’s returning players hope the team adds enough help to bolster their chances.
Drew hopes they embrace the challenge.
“I think we crossed a big hurdle last year when we beat Orlando [in the first round], but I think we got a little satisfied after that series and going into the Chicago series and lost some of the hunger,” he said. “Now let’s cross that hurdle of some of those teams that finished higher than us.”
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