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| Tuesday, October 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last year: 31-19, second place in Central (lost to Knicks in conference semis) Coach: Lenny Wilkens Arena: Philips Arena (20,000) Last NBA title: 1958 (when in St. Louis) Record the last 5 years/NBA rank: 225-153 (9th)
Outlook By Amy Jinkner-Lloyd Basketball News Fasten your seat belts, Isaiah Rider is here. Or is he? Rider said he'd be in Atlanta at the beginning of September to start training with and getting to know his new teammates. He never showed. Then he blew off media day, to the astonishment of coach Lenny Wilkens but not, apparently, GM Pete Babcock, who said, "We're disappointed, but we're not surprised." Next, Rider missed the first two days of training camp because, depending on when he was asked, he wouldn't get on a commuter jet ("a crop duster," he called it) or he doesn't want to be on a team that has no chance at the championship. Ouch! All this makes for interesting copy, but the truth is, the Hawks knew what they were getting into before they got into it. If Rider helps the team get to the Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks don't particularly care if he's late for practices or skips community appearances. In fact, short of murder, they will live with Rider's transgressions this year, in the name of unloading Steve Smith's multiyear contract. If the Rider experiment works, the Hawks will offer him a new contract. If it doesn't, they'll have some extra cap room next summer. But enough of the soap opera. Of the 13 players with guaranteed contracts on the roster, only six were Hawks last season: Dikembe Mutombo, Alan Henderson, Chris Crawford, LaPhonso Ellis, Roshown McLeod and Anthony Johnson. Another three are rookies -- the Hawks came up big in the draft with Jason Terry, Cal Bowdler and Dion Glover. Atlanta came up just as big in offseason trading, getting Bimbo Coles, Lorenzen Wright, Jim Jackson and Rider for either draft picks or veterans with large, multiyear contracts. One thing all of the new Hawks have in common is that they can run like crazy, and that's the game plan. Of course, when you ask a young team to run, you have to expect turnovers. Many, many turnovers. So look for the Hawks to play erratically in the early going. But as Jackson says, "I don't think you want to gel and be playing your best basketball in November. You want to be playing your best basketball in March." Hawks fans hope Jackson's off by a few months; the Hawks really expect to be playing their best ball in June.
Point guard Although Wilkens won't tip his hand, insisting that starting jobs are won in training camp, it's a foregone conclusion that the starting job is Terry's to lose. Coles will give the Hawks a veteran presence who's willing to do whatever it takes to win. Johnson must perform well early and often to escape 12th-man status.
Shooting guard Jackson continues to be haunted by the "selfish" tag hung around his neck by Mavericks coach Don Nelson five NBA stops ago. In his effort to do whatever is necessary to prove he's a bona fide NBA starter, Jackson should be a perfect team player under Wilkens. Rider needs to prove that he isn't just a jerk, something he's struggled with since becoming a Hawk. Glover has the most to prove and the shortest history backing him. Can he possibly be ready for the pros after only a year at Georgia Tech? All three say they're willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. We'll see.
Small forward Amazingly, Crawford, the player with the least glitz and most grit on the team, looks like he could get the starting nod over the fragile Ellis. Wilkens won't forget Crawford's attempt to play through a separated shoulder in the playoffs.
Power forward Bowdler, an athletic 6-10 college center who can shoot, regularly hitting college threes, has done nothing but impress in camp. As a big man who can play small, Bowdler could prove invaluable in backing up both forward positions.
Center Although he's only 23, Wright already has three years of NBA experience. Like Bowdler, Wright is a young player with size and an ability to play more than one position; in this case, Wright will back up the 4- and 5-spots and provide much greater skills there than last year's backup, the black hole Mark West.
Coaching Now in his 27th year as a head coach, Wilkens is the winningest coach in the history of the NBA and figures to rack up another 50-win season this year. His strength is teaching fundamentals; while a Wilkens team might not always have the personnel to be great, it will never be truly bad. Wilkens' biggest weakness? He expects his players to be as professional as he was as an NBA guard. Material from Basketball News.Visit their web site at http://www.basketballnews.com |