Larry Drew faces a dilemma.
The Hawks coach must figure out how to rest some of his players while the team is still fighting for playoff position. Sure, the Heat can afford to rest LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and company over the final two weeks of the regular season. They have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Hawks can still finish as high as fourth or as low as eighth.
“Right now the most important thing is they are healthy once we start the postseason,” Drew said. “The last thing we want at this stage for anybody to have that reoccurring injury or there is a setback. Not when you’ve come this far. You don’t want any type of setback to settle in. You want to try to get guys as healthy as you can possible get them for postseason play.”
Atlanta fans will remember that Falcons defensive end John Abraham was injured in the second half of a meaningless regular-season finale. He was hampered during the playoffs and failed to record a tackle in two postseason games.
Drew mentioned Josh Smith, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver as several players he would like to sit for a game or two over the final six regular-season games. Al Horford recently missed two games with a stomach illness, but said the mental break was beneficial.
Drew said he will look at the coming schedule to determine a circumstance that might be appropriate to afford some rest, especially to those who have logged heavy minutes this season. The Hawks host the 76ers on Friday.
Horford said one game off, but not two, would be helpful for a player, as gaining momentum and rhythm as a player and a team is important.
Teague (75 games), Smith (72), Horford (71) and Korver (70) all have appeared in nearly all of the Hawks’ 76 games.
“We’ll trust coach to feel that out,” Korver said. “I think if you look at our schedule since the All-Star break, we’ve had a couple long trips, a lot of back-to-backs, a lot of games. Our April schedule is pretty favorable.”
PRP injection for Harris: Devin Harris had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing toe Wednesday when the Hawks guard traveled to New York to visit a foot specialist. It was the second PRP shot that Harris received in the toe on his left foot this season. He received similar treatment during the All-Star break.
“It helps,” Harris told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “It’s sore for two or three days, but when the soreness goes away and the swelling goes away, you can see my movement after the All-Star break was a lot better. I’m able to change direction and speed like I want to.”
Harris said the treatment, designed to stimulate healing of bone and soft tissue, typically lasts a month. Harris has missed 21 games this season, 20 because of issues with his foot. The Hawks are a different team on offense when Harris is available. The decision to have the injection was made with the postseason just two weeks away.
Harris also had a PRP shot in his knee this summer after being acquired by the Hawks in a trade with the Jazz.
Jenkins update: John Jenkins took part in post-practice shooting drills Thursday as he works toward a return from a mild concussion that has cost the rookie the past three games. It is the second consecutive day Jenkins has been able to work out, a good sign that he is advancing in the NBA's concussion protocol.
Arrive early: The Hawks are expecting heavy traffic around Philips Arena on Friday because of events surrounding the Final Four in Atlanta this weekend. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the game against the 76ers and to take MARTA to the arena.
