All smiles at Hawks media day
Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby are all smiles at Hawks media day Monday. The real work at training camp kicked off Tuesday morning.
HAWKSVILLE – You’ve never seen so many smiling faces the day before training camp.
It wasn’t just the players. It was the coaches, the front office brass and even a good portion of the assembled media.
You’ve never seen so many smiling faces on the eve of a camp, at least not recently. And these weren’t forced smiles. These were the genuine kind, the ones you see on faces of teams bound for the playoffs.
It’s strange, in a good way, the effect winning has on people.
“On paper we looked good,” Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said from a corner of the practice court Monday afternoon. “We look real good on paper, so that’s why you see so many smiles around here right now. We’re excited about what this season holds. But the real work starts (in the morning). When the sweat hits the floor, that’s when you know what you’ve really got.”
There’s no doubt the Hawks have their deepest and most balanced training camp roster since I’ve been here, and at least two people in attendance Monday observed that it’s the most seasoned and accomplished group to assemble for a Hawks training camp in a decade.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Marvin Williams said. “Our team itself is pretty deep, probably the deepest team we’ve had since I’ve been here. You could split this group for camp up into four groups of five and have some nasty competition. I know there won’t be any drop off when that second unit is on the floor. but we’ll see in the morning. We’ll see all week.”
Williams admitted to never being terribly excited for a “training camp” but confessed that he’s been eager for Tuesday’s start of real action for quite some time. “Our team has gotten better and we have some new guys that we’re all excited to see in action,” he said, “and I think that’s where the real intrigue comes in for everybody.”
One of the new guys, rookie point guard Jeff Teague, put the finishing touches on the meet and greet portion of his experience with his new teammates Monday. He finally got a chance to meet Joe Smith, the one player he had yet to see since being drafted by the Hawks in June.
“The thing you realize when you see everybody here together is that there’s already a great nucleus in place,” Teague said. “It’s something to be a part of. So you get in here now and realize that you want to get off to a good start and get things rolling right away.”
They kicked things off Monday with a team dinner, a function where Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he would lay out some specifics for his team regarding goals and detailed responsibilities for this season.
“The message is that expectations are always high from where I sit,” Woodson said. “And you can’t be scared of it, you can’t run from it. I’m not scared. I’m not running from it. And the fact that expectations are high means that we have to now try and take that next step. The next step is trying to be in that elite group.”
I reached out to several members of the national media about that very topic regarding the Hawks and received some interesting feedback. While it certainly seems like a possibility, no one is ready to bet house money on the Hawks doing so.
“The NBA remains a league that belongs to the superstars, and unfortunately for them they have none,” ESPN.com’s J.A. Adande wrote in an email. “They have talent and now there’s experience and cohesion to go with it, but they don’t have that one guy who can singlehandedly take over a playoff game on the road. Kobe, Shaq and Tim Duncan played on eight of the 10 championship teams between this decade. The Hawks don’t have anyone of that caliber, not to mention the updated Eastern mix of LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Boston’s Big 3. Because of the consistency the Hawks learned last year they could get to the second round — if the Bulls don’t beat them out for that final berth in the conference semis.”
Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports expressed similar concerns about the Hawks vaulting into that upper tier of the Eastern Conference for the same reasons.
“I think the Hawks’ situation is interesting because more is expected because they were ablet o take another step to the Eastern conference semifinals last year,” he said. “But no one seems to be talking about them in that realm with the big three in the conference. Everybody is talking about Boston, Cleveland and Orlando in the East. So I still think they have a chip on their shoulder. And if you think about it, this team is going to be better for a lot of reasons. First, they’ve got another year of experience and they’re more playoff tested. They were able to re-sign key players and didn’t lose anybody of importance. Their one major weakness, their bench, was aided in impressive fashion, with Jamal Crawford, Joe Smith and Jason Collins and the rookie Teague, all guys that can start if someone gets hurt. So if you look at the Hawks, they’re actually better than they were a year ago. I think what’s hurt them is the fact that they didn’t finish strong in the playoffs, even with their injury problems. And that kept people from taking them seriously as a team that has a chance to move up into that top three. I do see this as a dangerous team with a chip on their shoulder. When it’s all said and done, it’ll be interesting to see if the Hawks take another step forward and live up to their expectations or everybody else’s.”
We’ve talked about it many times around here since that Cleveland series. But what are your realistic expectations for this team this season?
I like Mike Bibby’s take on things, personally, simple but true.
“We got it on paper all day,” Bibby said. “We just have to put it together. Everybody has to have one main goal this season and that main goal is to win. Everything else will take care of itself if we’re operating with that as our No. 1 goal at all times. Individual goals have to be set aside for team goals.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
310 comments Add your comment
james
September 29th, 2009
12:22 pm
Where are all the media pictures ? How come we see pictures of Mo Evans with no shirt on lol but not one media day picture of Crawford or Joe Smith ?
I disagree with Adande . I think Crawford will open up the floor for Joe and he will take that step but I also would not be surprised if Crawford walked into an opponents gym in the playoffs and tossed a 20 point quarter on someone for the win.
Crawford is streaky but hes the type of streaky that when he gets going it doesnt matter what building or who is guarding him you are gonna start doubling him to get it out of his hands . Considering Crawford has been one of the best 4th quarter scorers for the last several years Im a bit surprised by Adande comments .
ILL-logical
September 29th, 2009
12:29 pm
Well maybe it’s time to seriously think about a Hawks team without Joe Johnson. My first thought after reading about his decision to seek free agency was to trade him now! No use getting down the road and having Joe play for his big payday and not for the team. His comments about his personal goals does not inspire me with confidence regarding his priorities.
After some reflection, I re-considered and thought : this could be about Woody. Both Joe and Woody may be trying to sway Mr. Sund from his previously stated positions. Problem is they both may be gone from here. Of course, that may be both of their goals anyway.
One thing for sure , the stakes just got a lot higher for the Hawks’ future success.
GeeMack
September 29th, 2009
12:41 pm
ILL-logical
JJ wants to win a title, and he knows that joining another elite player betters his chances. He can still make money and join LBJ or Wade and they instantly become contenders. This team with him as the takeover guy is bound for the 2nd and that’s it.
?
September 29th, 2009
12:41 pm
Celtics on sportcenter
?
September 29th, 2009
12:45 pm
Wow JJ.
no name
September 29th, 2009
12:53 pm
Trade JJ and forget the playoffs lets get the number 1 pick on the next draft and lets hope that get we the next Lebron!
dap01
September 29th, 2009
12:54 pm
JJ came here for selfess reasons, so we have to accept that he might leave for the same reasons.
I hope that this makes him play at a very high level. Will he want to reduce him minutes (best for the team) or will he want to play as many minutes as possible to pad his stats? (best for him).
Anyway, looks like the Hawks will draft a shooting guard next year and they may have $15 million to spend.
PDubATL
September 29th, 2009
12:56 pm
Well, if I were his agent, I wouldnt have him re-sign either. The economy should be in better shape next year and he’ll get a max contract offer from someone. We’ll still have a chance to resign him then, we’ll just have to pay a grip to keep him in a Hawks uni.
On the upside, if he’s wants a max contract next year, he should be playing all-out this season!
PMC
September 29th, 2009
1:00 pm
Contract Year for Joe Johnson. I love the sound of that. I think this sets up well.
KevinA
September 29th, 2009
1:01 pm
Ray, ILL-logical, big dave,
I agree with Ray about Harford needing more touches/attempts against certain teams. With the added depth of Collins and Joe Smith Woody can move Al to the 4 during portions of the game. Al is developing and is getting better with both his foot work and shooting range. Like Josh and Marvin he will improve as the years go on. He will be better this year and even better 2 years from now. Overall Al is the best we have and for the money an awesome bargain. To throw Al under the bus is a little premature.
vava74
September 29th, 2009
1:02 pm
Gee Mack,
I think you look at a BBall club as a cumulation of players and their respective stats and not as functional team. I disagree with that type of analysis.
I stressed in my post that Orlando’s system will have to change completely and that in my opinion, the sum of the parts do not make a whole.
But even if we go to a reductive analysis of talent, I immediately disagree on a few points:
Bibby is a clutch shooter. Nelson is not.
Both are very weak defenders and passing wise, they are more or less equivalent.
Nelson is more dynamic, but he needs the ball to be productive, something which is incompatible with Vince.
Bibby is the opposite, he facilitates even with limited ball possession time.
JJ is a much more complete player than Vince ever was, in particular, defensively JJ is far superior to Vince.
Vince has been much more athletic and much more spectacular and that is the reason for his 7 all star appearances.
JJ is a very good clutch performer whilst Vince is a major choker.
So, I take our back court any day against Orlando’s.
Furthermore, if we look at the bench, if Teague is 50% of what I expect him to be, I think our bench with Crawford absolutely kills Orlando’s back court bench, even if you consider Pietrus’ game (who I do not believe will perform consistently).
Anthony Johnson is a steady backup, but both he and J-Williams will struggle to keep up with either Teague or Crawford at the PG.
Up front: no contest on Howard, however, in crunch time, offensively he is not much more effective than Al, who can at least drain his FTs. Only in rebounding Howard where he proves to be more effective than Al in crunch time.
If Josh plays with a bit more brain, he will be far better than Bass (who I respect but not consider a game changer).
Marvin can be AS effective as Rashard. If not this year, next year he will be at his level. He is tall, strong and quick enough to play a complete game (inside and outside).
His numbers are already similar to Rashard’s who is already 30 years old and – again – was playing juiced and will be suspended.
Again, the bench: I rather have Mo than Barnes and Zaza+Collins are not far off Gortat (if they are at all).
True Hawks Fan
September 29th, 2009
1:05 pm
Sekou,
How soon we forget about Joe’s performance in the 4th game of the Celtics Series. He can take over and lead us!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhGeQWOHwHQ
I really like your material though. Good stuff!
vava74
September 29th, 2009
1:09 pm
And I forgot to mention Joe Smith!
A Tribe Called Quest
September 29th, 2009
1:09 pm
“JJ came here for selfess reason”
Did you mean selfless? or selfish? He came here because he wanted to be the star and make money.
And Joe has done nothing for us in the playoffs besides that one game. He is getting older and is so big that it wears out his legs
I MUS WRITE
September 29th, 2009
1:20 pm
Ray- I was just wondering why u had special powers is all. Now I know -You’re the king over there on the fan blogs…. Oooookaaaay- LMAO at Tribe.
Listen officer- When im at work I have to be professional so no I would’nt ask those questions. Morris is an okay as far as likeability-those comments are only about his game not him as a person.I have only seen him once anyway so…..
Ditto….. on the odom wedding -who the hell cares
I Mus agree with who ever said we wont win a championship with Al manning the C. I just dont see a 6′9 245 lb center with limited post moves taking us to the promise land.
I dont say shyt behind peoples back that i would’nt say to their face…Never been that way dont plan on starting now. in other words im not a bytch when the pressure is on and the shyt goes down.
ILL-logical
September 29th, 2009
1:20 pm
GeeMack- Like your take-had not considered that angle- but your theory holds as much water as any.The question then becomes w/not to trade him now or trade him later for the long coveted big.I say now because we can set the stage for the future. As far as his replacement,I believe Marvin in the long run and Crawford in the short term. Mr. Sund has cetainly covered his bases well.
KevinA- Am not, can not and will not throw Al under the bus. What does concern me is the way is being used by the current incumbant head coach(more on that later). As long as he is playing out of position,IMHO, the Hawks cannot win a championship. the 2004 Pistons comparisons are full of logical flaws; one of which is equating Al to Ben Wallace. Two entirely different type of players and frankly Al doesn’t have the muscle to play the role Ben played for that Piston team.
Now what effect Joe’s decision may have on the coaching situation remains to be seen but my money is on no Joe, no Woody.
KevinA
September 29th, 2009
1:21 pm
JJ is a great player but I don’t see him getting “max dollars” any where. Before we negotiate with JJ we need to see what Crawford and Teague have to offer, not to mention whether Bibby plays even better this year or has a drop off.
Joe’s future may be intertwined with how the Hawks play and if we resign Woody. Another factor may be how attendance affects the pay roll. Will we be able to afford him? All I’ll’s would be solved by JJ and the Hawks having a great year.
@TL
September 29th, 2009
1:26 pm
JJ was a fake All-Star anyways!
JJ thank for nothing.
KevinA
September 29th, 2009
1:26 pm
ILL-logical
Does that mean, ZaZa/Collins/Joe Smith should play C instead of Al and Al should share minutes with Josh?
Samuel
September 29th, 2009
1:28 pm
I believe I told yall a while back that JJ had “His Boy” Woody’s back. Woody made him an allstar so JJJ will pay him back by forcing the Hawks management’s hand.
Extend Woody and JJ re-signs. Simple as that.
Ramon
September 29th, 2009
1:29 pm
Daniel, an auction league is where everyone is given $200 at the start of the draft, and you bid on the players you want. Its a lot more fun than the tradition snake draft. Because you still have a chance at the one player you covet the most.
macaroni tony
September 29th, 2009
2:03 pm
Joe Johnson will NOT sign extension with the Hawks. JJ heads into the deep free agent pool of 2010.
per Sekou
The good thing about that is we will have the money to get another all-star, so he could move and thank him for helping us put the Hawks on the map. Maybe MW could be more like a Danny Granger.
Mario West
September 29th, 2009
2:06 pm
I don’t think JJ cares about Woody, the Hawks or about the fans. He is a selfish person that only cares about making his money.
JJ you stink in the playoffs!!!
Josh Smith > JJ
Mario West
September 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
Danny Granger is way better than having a fake All-Star(JJ)!
Ramon
September 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
JJ for Melo! JJ for Melo! JJ for Melo!
@TL
September 29th, 2009
2:17 pm
I think Chris Bosh decided to do the same to the Raptors!
vava74
September 29th, 2009
2:23 pm
JJ’s not signing an extension is a bad omen for us.
All the good vibes for this year are gone, in my opinion.
celtic spy
September 29th, 2009
2:26 pm
Thats real low JJ.
BRAD
September 29th, 2009
2:32 pm
NONE OF THE “SUPER” STARS ARE SIGNING EXTENSIONS!! Lebron, D-Wade, Bosh, JJ, etc..are all going to be free agents to see what the market is. Lebron and Wade will no doubt get max contracts, but JJ could very well sign with the Hawks again.
Hawk n the Ham
September 29th, 2009
2:37 pm
I got to believe that JJ not signing an extension will be beneficial for the Hawks THIS season.
If JJ wants to play lights out and put up the best numbers of his career, that is all fine with me.
celtic spy
September 29th, 2009
2:41 pm
Am a Celtic fan but I feel bad for the people of the ATL. You guys have a selfish player that never played with heart and that never belived on the hawks. He knows Atlanta will never reach the NBA finals so he wants to play for a team that can. not cool JJ
I say trade him!
Ramon
September 29th, 2009
2:43 pm
The problem is JJ needs to play less minutes with the ball in his hands. However, can we really trust that he will do that in a contract year?
bigdave
September 29th, 2009
2:46 pm
Big Ray, KevinA…
there is no present Hawk that i think should start over Al Horford. thats a given… my issue with Al isnt predicated on being “undersized”. honestly i feel Horford is not a PF (though he would fit in well in the western conf.) in today’s game he is a C. defensively i dont see him matching up with any of the PF’s in the east let alone our division. my gripe is simply with his offensive development/skill. in my opinion Za Za is the most polished low post big. Solo “had” the best shooting touch. sure he doesnt get the touches. however, we’re an iso team and he simply does not have the game to excel in our 1-on-1 system. he is a tough SOB ill give him that.. but he tends to put up soft, or off balance shots out of the iso sets. i just never liked the pick (maybe cause i knew the 2 combined would get an at the time All NBA Amare).. he was what we needed and has done well. however, i dont see him amounting to much on the offensive end unless he learns to consistently hit (i mean you better go out and put a hand up; a threat;his shot) that Zo jumper. i agreed with Ill-logic out of knowing this was a show me year for Al as well.. Acie was sent packing… sure enough Al has contributed 10x more than Acie ever did, however, i figured after year 1 he would’ve made strides in his offensive arsenal, yet he didnt. i know the numbers are par to above but to me he digressed on that end of the floor. relative to the somewhat potential i surprisingly saw in year 1. hopefully he has put in the individual work it takes to bring your game to the next level. im rooting for him no doubt, but we’ll see…
@TL
September 29th, 2009
2:53 pm
I agree with the celtic spy.
PMC
September 29th, 2009
3:03 pm
JJ’s expiring contract will be sexy to a few clubs…. and his contract year is good for this one.
...
September 29th, 2009
3:03 pm
I wonder where will JJ play?
I think Lebron will stay a cav so New York will try to get JJ.
jerrywest
September 29th, 2009
3:05 pm
Ok all the suckers who believed in this team and signed for lower than expected money (Bibby, Zaza & Marvin) – eat my socks. Now sacrifice your shots and give me the ball. I won’t do what Tim Dunkin did. The idiot wanted to surround himself with quality players and signed for slightly less than market value. Suckers.
- Vibe killer.
GeeMack
September 29th, 2009
3:08 pm
vava74
You are correct I am looking at the talent pool and the stages of guys careers on the team. To say Vince is a choker is far fetch. Is he Kobe LBJ or D-Wade: no, but he has always been a team player.
These guys are at the stage where they want to win. They have already made their individual marks.
no name
September 29th, 2009
3:08 pm
Can we trade JJ?
no name
September 29th, 2009
3:13 pm
Because if we can we should.
Sautee
September 29th, 2009
3:20 pm
big dave,
about this:
“i just never liked the pick (maybe cause i knew the 2 combined would get an at the time All NBA Amare).. ”
Wasn’t that rumor TOTALLY debunked by Sekou AND Hawks management?
So how did you KNOW that? Are you on Steve Kerr’s speed dial or something?
Ariose
September 29th, 2009
3:22 pm
GeeMack, lol it’s all good. I figured thats what was going on…
As far as JJ is concerned all I have to say is
0_o !!!!
Trade him to Memphis for Rudy Gay…
Ariose
September 29th, 2009
3:25 pm
‘Nique is offically on Twitter now. FOLLOW HIM!!!
http://twitter.com/DWilkins21
macaroni tony
September 29th, 2009
3:26 pm
Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said he will not sign a contract extension with the Hawks and will play out the final year of his contract this season.
Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Hawks extended a four-year, $60-plus million contract offer to Johnson this summer. But Johnson said he decided not to sign the extension after mulling it over during the offseason.
By not signing Johnson will enter a deep free agent crop next summer headlined by reigning MVP LeBron James as well as fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
“My sole focus right now is on this team and what we’re trying to accomplish this season,” Johnson said. “I have some goals set for this season for my team and I have some individual goals set for myself as well. I really feel like this team is ready to take that step to the next level. I also feel like I can be one of the elite players in this league, I feel like I’m right there, so it’s going to be an exciting year.”
Johnson is in the fifth and final year of a $70 million deal he signed with Phoenix before being traded to the Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal in August 2005.
bigdave
September 29th, 2009
3:27 pm
Saut…
fact or fiction… at the time the rumor itself made me hate the pick…
but no… actually Colangelo phoned me on it…
Ariose
September 29th, 2009
3:28 pm
Micah:
We consider JJ a SG, but we’ll take it RT @jeskeets: Ball Don’t Lie / The top 10 small forwards of the last decade http://bit.ly/1siE2G
Ariose
September 29th, 2009
3:31 pm
we want Rudy!!!! RIGHT GUYS???….0_o
Ramon
September 29th, 2009
3:36 pm
Ariose, I want Melo. lol
no name
September 29th, 2009
3:41 pm
I would love for Rip Hamilton to replace JJ I hear he has problems with his new teamate Ben Gordon.
Mario West
September 29th, 2009
3:46 pm
People want Melo, Rudy and others want Rip.