Vesper

I was at the game on Monday and Hunter was not looking sharp. He was letting passes go through his hands. Plus he was not rebounding or scoring well. I guess the Hawks are thinking that they are thin at the forward spot.

My link By Sekou Smith The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hawks coach Mike Woodson is careful not to invest too much emotion into preseason basketball. There was a time when that was not the case, when Woodson pushed his team to fight for every inch of space in the preseason like it was the playoffs. He learned his lesson after back-to-back trips to the playoffs. "The season is so long when you're dealing with the playoffs and everything that comes with it," Woodson said. "So you have to pace yourself and make sure you take a more measured approach." That doesn’t mean the preseason is without merit. Plenty can be learned about a team while watching it play seven or eight games that essentially mean nothing outside of the lessons learned about a team and its individual parts. What we've learned about the Hawks this preseason: 1. Woodson was serious about not burning his starters during the preseason. No starter is playing more than the 22 minutes per game that Marvin Williams is averaging through four games. In fact, rookie point guard Jeff Teague leads the team in minutes (29.0), another sign that Woodson's radical shift in approach is paying immediate dividends for this team. "I think coach understands that we've shown that we're capable of pushing it up a notch or two when the situation calls for it," Josh Smith said. "That's why he's giving other guys an opportunity to contribute and make their case for quality minutes. My body definitely appreciates that. I know the rest of the starters do, too. We've shown flashes of what we can do. And we don’t want to show it all the preseason. We have a lot more to show in the regular season." 2. Jamal Crawford's addition changes everything. Sure, he's played sparingly in exhibition games (a total of just nine minutes courtesy of a left calf strain), but Crawford has blown away anyone who has seen him work in practice, where his elite scoring and passing rivals that of Hawks' captain and All-Star Joe Johnson. "Our bench is going to play a major part in what we do this season," Johnson said. "We've got some big-time players coming off our bench that can really score the basketball and make plays. I can't lie to you, it's very exciting to see some of these guys, especially Jamal, on the floor doing their thing." 3. Teague will be a factor as a rookie. It might be a tad early for the Rookie of the Year Web site to get going, but Teague has shown tremendous flashes of abilities that the Hawks haven't seen from a rookie point guard in forever. While his 3-point shooting has been non-existent in the preseason (0-for-4), Teague has shown everything else you could want out of a young point guard. He shifts gears like few can, one of his teammates compared his open-floor speed to that of Spurs' All-Star guard Tony Parker, and he has explosive athleticism that allows him to challenge players twice his size at the rim on both ends of the floor. "It really is crazy watching him blow past people on the break," Marvin Williams said. "He's got that fearlessness that you love to see. And we have to keep him stoking that in him. We don't want him to let up when he's out there." 4. Improved depth is a tangible result from one of the best offseasons in recent franchise history. How else to explain backup swingman Mo Evans missing the Hawks' first three preseason games with a sore knee and then leading them with 27 points in just 26 minutes in his debut, a blowout win Wednesday night in Memphis? The Hawks' starters are still crushing people in the limited time they've been on the floor together. "I didn’t know what to expect, but the new guys have come in with a great attitude," Al Horford said. "They knew what we had. They knew they just had to come in and mesh with our team and kind of get into the mix and I think that's what Jamal and Joe [smith] and Jeff and Jason [Collins] have all done." 5. There's something to be said for organic growth, what with the massive improvements guys like Josh Smith, Horford and Williams have made over the past few seasons. But nothing pushes the envelope like true competition. And for the first time in years the Hawks have a true two-deep roster. "Everybody plays hard," Smith said. "And they damn sure make it competitive every day. It's really become contagious, the competitive nature of things around here, from the scrimmage work we do in practice to the shooting contests after practice. Nobody wants to lose."

Which team had what reserves? I want some Box Scores!

My link Atlanta Hawks 6:23 p.m. Saturday, October 3, 2009 Starters rule the floor in Hawks' scrimmage By Sekou Smith The Atlanta Journal-Constitution There was no surprise ending to the Hawks' first training-camp scrimmage Saturday morning. Enlarge photo Mike Bibby and the Hawks starters were sharp in the team's first scrimmage Saturday. Johnny Crawford / jcrawford@ajc.com Mike Bibby and the Hawks starters were sharp in the team's first scrimmage Saturday. The Blue team (the starters and several reserves) wore out the White team (the second five and other reserves) 43-30 behind the work of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby. That trio combined for 27 of the Blue team's points in the scrimmage, establishing a dominant presence inside and out on offense. "It was pretty good," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said of the 20-minute session. "The Blue team was really sharp in terms of getting after it defensively and sharing the ball offensively. And they should be that way. They've been together a while. "The White team competed, but until they actually learn the system and what they're doing, it's going to be that way." Well, until Woodson can cajole them into pounding on the Blue team the way last year's White unit did in practice later in the season. "I've got to get that White team playing at the level the Blue team is right now," Woodson said. "When that happens you're a pretty competitive team. And they're not far away. They just have to figure out what we’re doing a little more. Once that happens they’re going to be in there." Woodson said the scrimmage portion of practice will increase daily in preparation for Wednesday's exhibition home opener against New Orleans at Philips Arena. "We only did 20 minutes [saturday]," he said. "We'll try and go to 30 or 35 minutes [sunday] and then a full 40 on Monday." Hard to miss Smith and Marvin Williams had to battle through injuries last season, but both seem particularly active in camp so far. "Marvin and Josh both are moving around and flying around and making plays offensively," Woodson said. "It’s kind of nice to see." Smith isn’t just making plays on offense, he's teamed with Al Horford to provide a dominating presence in the paint on defense. "We're just trying to be active and make a difference," Smith said. "It's not just me or Al, it's everybody. This is the time to really establish what kind of attitude you're going to play with as a team. We're just trying to play with purpose." That was obvious Saturday, when the activity of the Hawks' starting frontcourt dictated the pace of the action. Quiet by nature Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew is working to change at least one part of Jeff Teague's game. He's trying to get the rookie point guard to be more vocal on the floor with his veteran teammates. "The one thing all young guys want to do is to fit in," Drew said. "Going through that whole process, the one thing he has to understand is that you have to continue to do the things that got you here. If you are a leader by nature, you have to continue to be a leader, regardless of how young you are. Because those are traits that a point guard, and particularly one like Jeff who is quiet by nature, has to get better at."

The women are better shooters and play defense!

That made me laugh.

Tall and Rich will get you a girl like that too!

I just spoke with Mike Glenn at the Piccadilly Cafeteria on Memorial Dr. in Stone Mountain. He is such a normal guy.

We all wanted Marvin to be more aggressive and become a star. Now he has the monetary incentive to make it happen.

Marvin signed

2009 Chargers and Challengers are basically the same care.

“Had we been healthy and got swept in four, then you can easily judge it. It’s hard to judge that team when Al Horford can’t move, Marvin Williams can’t shoot and Joe Johnson is struggling on a bad ankle." This is the first time I've heard him break it down this way. ajc

Atlanta Hawks ownership in good spirits

The stars are signed for the usual 3 feature movie deal. I highly suggest that fans of the movie read the "Star Trek: Countdown" graphic novel. It is written by the writers of the movie. It explains were Nero's ship comes from. Why Nero is so pissed at Spock. What's up with the tattoos and much more.

I think it would be interesting to see Solomon start. It would be great experience for him for later in the playoffs.

We don't have a problem beating CP3 or Deron! I just think we need a 7 footer!

Woody was a pretty good player. The 50-year-old Woodson has over two decades of NBA experience as a player and coach, and served three seasons as an assistant under Brown in both Philadelphia (2001-03) and Detroit. He also worked as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers (1999-01) and the Milwaukee Bucks (1996-99). One of the chief architects behind the Pistons’ suffocating defensive effort during the 2003-04 season, Detroit held the opposition to 84.3 points per game that year, which equaled the league’s best total defensively (along with San Antonio). In addition, the Pistons’ point differential of +5.84 was the second-best in the NBA and they limited opponents to 41.4 field goal shooting, the league’s third-best performance. During their 23 postseason games, Detroit intensified their efforts defensively, holding teams to 80.7 ppg and 39.2 FG shooting, and in the five-game Finals series against Los Angeles, the Pistons kept the Lakers more than 16 points under their regular season average and hounded them into shooting 41 percent from the floor. The 11-year veteran and 6-5 guard played for seven teams in the NBA after he was selected in the first round of the 1980 Draft by the New York Knicks with the 12th overall pick. In 786 career games, Woodson averaged 14.0 points (10.981 career points), 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25.5 minutes, enjoying his best season in 1982-83 when he played for the then-Kansas City Kings and posted 18.2 points per game. In addition to the Knicks and Kings (both in Kansas City and Sacramento), Woodson also played with New Jersey, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston and Cleveland, before retiring from the game in 1991. His teams advanced to the playoffs five times, where he averaged 12.2 ppg, 2.6 apg and 2.3 rpg.

Corny, but not bad!

I've got some chocolate for her!

I tried warning customers that didn't read the book not to expect a tights and flights movie. That's not what Alan Moore is about. This is the third movie they have done from his works. The Watchmen is the closes yet to the source material. League and V were horrible Hollywood trash. Alan Moore doesn't even want his name mentioned with any of the movies.

Streak Busters Hawks got love last night on Sports Center

Did you read the book?

I had to go see the Watchmen last night (I knew my customers at the comic shop would want to talk about it all weekend). The movie follows the comic closely. This movie really is rated "R"! Don't take the kids! Nudity, Sex and Graphic Violence.

Nique had that fadeaway finger roll to take control of the game. He was clutch when it mattered!