Veterans guards fight for spots in Hawks campBy

[DrReality]

Veterans guards fight for spots in Hawks campBy Sekou Smith

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Juan Dixon and Mike Wilks share more than just locker room space these days.

Hawks head coach Mike Woodson says I have so much respect for veteran guys that subject themselves to the system in that way and have the pride in themselves and the respect for the game to work the way Mike [Wilks] and Juan [Dixon] are working."

.The veteran free agent point guards share similar frustrations, ambitions and desires as they seek a permanent spot on the Hawks' roster with their work in training camp. There is no tougher way to secure a job in the world's most high-profile basketball league.

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With a combined 13 years of NBA experience, Dixon and Wilks have both played significant roles on quality teams – Wilks won a championship ring in 2005 with San Antonio – yet here they are, chasing their hoop dreams like so many journeymen throughout the league this time of year.

"We've been talking about it a little bit," Wilks said. "This is Juan's first time in this situation where he's on a non-guaranteed deal. I've been through this time and time again, where I don't know where I'm going to be and have to go in and fight for a spot.

"It's my faith that keeps me strong. Juan actually gave me a compliment the other day. He said, ‘Do you know how strong you have to be to keep doing this?' I just keep going out there and working as hard as I can and I've been fortunate to do this several times and make the team. So I can't complain."

Neither player is complaining about his predicament. It's just a part of the business most players deal with sooner or later. Only a select few come into the league as lottery picks and leave on their own terms.

Dixon finished his seventh NBA season in Washington last year, where he earned six starts in the 50 games he played in. He had been the 17th overall pick in the 2002 draft after finishing a storybook college career with a national title and the all-time scoring record at Maryland.

But now 31, he's job-hunting like millions of other Americans in search of steady work.

"It's tough from a mental aspect," Dixon said. "You still have to come out and play hard and practice hard every day and show the coaches that you deserve to be on the team, that you can contribute to the team. It's definitely different. I had this conversation with my wife, my brother and my agent. It's a situation that I'm in and I just have to go out there and make good things happen."

Dixon has played for the Wizards, Pistons, Raptors and Trail Blazers, never leaving the NBA. Wilks, on the other hand, has had to venture into some of basketball's hinterlands.

In addition to playing with the Spurs, Magic, Wizards, Nuggets, Sonics, Cavaliers, Rockets and Timberwolves, he's done stints in the D-League in both Mobile and Huntsville, Ala.

"I spent my longest stretch in Seattle," said Wilks, 30, a six-year veteran who spent last season on Orlando's roster but missed the entire year after suffering a torn right ACL in training camp. "I got traded there midseason and then came back for another season. But most of the time, it's a year here, a year there. Coming from the D-League, being undrafted from a small Division-I school [Rice] and just 5-11, nobody expected me to do it once or be around this long. So I've already defied the odds.

"Now, my attitude is to just keep trying to do it over and over again."

That's a lot easier said than done, especially when the politics and finances come into play. The reality is the Hawks only have one open roster spot. And no matter how well they play in camp, there are players younger than both Wilks and Dixon who can be had much cheaper. Still, neither player seems deterred by the obstacles. And neither has their hard work nor their sacrifice of ego gone unnoticed.

"It's a humbling path to walk," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "I have so much respect for veteran guys that subject themselves to the system in that way and have the pride in themselves and the respect for the game to work the way Mike and Juan are working. That's why I tell young guys when they come into the league, you need to listen and learn as fast as you can. Mostly they need to learn how to play hard. That's the thing that lasts in this league."

[DrReality]

Anyone know what their salaries would be?

[mrhonline]

Anyone know what their salaries would be?

Camp invites make some nice change, if I remember correctly. Probably more than some of us make in a year.

If they stay the full year, they would make the league minimum for their years of service. The cap hit would be around 800K.

[DrReality]

Camp invites make some nice change, if I remember correctly. Probably more than some of us make in a year.

If they stay the full year, they would make the league minimum for their years of service. The cap hit would be around 800K.

That would cover my salar for the past 10-15 years.