Atlanta Hawks: Camp report
Notes gathered before nearly crashing my car while taking a call on Louis Williams deal and then trying to tweet the news on my freakin’ phone. . . .
- Pape Sy is back, baby! That’s exciting enough on its own but Sy got me really hyped by showing up looking ripped. Seriously, dude is muscled-up. “I tried to work on my body to get stronger on the court,” he said. “Now I feel great.”
- Larry Drew on Sy: “He’s been in that weight room. He’s gotten stronger. When he goes to the basket, you can see when he takes contact he can still get his shot off. That’s a pro move to take contact and get your shot off.”
- As mentioned a few weeks ago, the Hawks finally have abandoned their plan to try to make Sy a point guard. It was pretty obvious after his first couple of summer games in 2010 that his NBA future is not at the point. “I feel good as a two guard,” Sy said. “I am trying to get to the hoop and I work on my shot. I feel better now. Playing the two may be more easier for me.”
- The Hawks have a hole on their roster on the wing and Sy certainly has the size to play there. He’s always had some potential as a wing defender. Drew said Sy could play some small forward in smaller lineups.
- “Pape has really gotten better,” Drew said. “I’ve always been intrigued by his size, his ability to get to the basket, his strength. He knows how to draw fouls when he goes to the cup. His shot has improved. Defensively he’s aggressive. I think this summer league will be really good for him to see where he measures up at this level.”
- John Jenkins signed his rookie deal. He’ll make about $2.5 million guaranteed over the next two years with Atlanta holding options for two additional seasons.
- So Jenkins is, like, rich. “It won’t change me at all,” he said. “My parents won’t let it happen and the people around me won’t let it happen. It’s also not who I am. I’m a very, very cheap person. I might get a nice car, not much else. I’m very blessed just to be in the NBA.”
- There’s no big secret about the summer focus for Jenkins. “Everyone knows he’s capable of making shots, everybody knows when he’s on the floor you can’t leave him,” Drew said. “But defensively he’s got to get better and he knows that. He’s already said, ‘Coach, just tell me what you need for me to do and I’ll be studying film, I’ll be studying tape, I want to get better in that area.’ He’s a great kid. I’m happy that he’s part of our organization.”
- Jenkins is wearing No. 12. He initially asked for No. 21 but, well, you know. Jenkins then asked for No. 23, his college number, but Lou Hudson already wore it very well for the Hawks.
- Mike Scott already knows you want him to be a small forward: “I’ve been asked that question so many times. I see myself as a four. I’m comfortable as a four but doing three stuff. If I have a mismatch, a bigger guy on me I’m going around or a smaller guy on me I’m posting up. In order for me to transition to three I have to be able to guard a three. That’s something I’m still working on.”
- At Virginia, Scott developed an effective face-up game. Good idea since it’s a big reason he will get a shot in the league. “I always had a pretty good touch,” he said. “Once I realized I wasn’t going to be able to dunk on everybody, I started working on other aspects of my game. Watching a lot of Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett—big guys that can shoot from that pick-and-pop range.”
- Scott has pretty good length but isn’t very physically imposing. Drew: “Undersized, but I do think he has the strength to play that [four] position. He’s a phenomenal pick-and-pop shooter so he’s going to have to play to his strengths and get better at his weaknesses. A big part of playing that four is understanding what you can get away with defensively and what you can’t. But I do think he has the strength to hold his own down there.”
- Drew added that Scott “is not an Ivan Johnson as far as strength is concerned” but who is among us lesser beings?
- Keith “Kito” Benson is back, too. Word is he looked much the same during today’s scrimmage–timid and getting knocked around–but Benson says he’s gotten stronger and plans to have an “aggressive mindset” this time around.
- Benson: “I think I have a lot better chance this year because of summer league and spending more time with the coaches. I think I have a good chance to show what I can do and show my skills for a longer period of time. Last year it was about five days.”
- Lester Conner will coach the summer league entry.
- Danny Ferry came out for a moment while reporters were inside the practice facility but didn’t address us media types.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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509 comments Add your comment
Rev in Tampa
July 11th, 2012
2:38 am
ASG is the top trending subject WORLDWIDE!
All-Star Game
Najeh Davenpoop
July 11th, 2012
2:38 am
Chris Sheridan @sheridanhoops
Source on Dwight Howard trade: “It’s all coming to a head.” Translation: He’s being dealt somewhere today.
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I don’t trust the notorious NYC homer Sheridan as much as the usual Twitter suspects like @WojYahooNBA, @AlexKennedyNBA, @KBergCBS, @ESPNSteinLine etc. but we’ll see what happens I guess.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 11th, 2012
2:39 am
By the way MC, Prestige is great but it ain’t Inception.
Rev in Tampa
July 11th, 2012
2:39 am
Top trending on twitter
Me
July 11th, 2012
3:15 am
We should wait and sign Andrew Bynum next summer
Geno
July 11th, 2012
3:22 am
Javele mchhee!!!!
GaSouthernSmooth
July 11th, 2012
3:27 am
I really like the ensemble cast of scorers we have assembled now we need to find a stable 3. Glad we didnt get R. Lewis… With JJ out of the picture we will see if LDs offense is worth a damn. i think it will have success just because we have a roster of guys who can create get fouled and sink shots and not a geriatric ward of vets. Our defense will undoubtedly drop but we all know D. Howard or even any other legitimate D minded center could help us out.(camby would have been nice) cant wait to see how this summer turns out for the hawks, all i know is that im glad i wont be watching anyone named pargo,hinrich,marvin, or willie see the court in an ATL jersey.
High-sider
July 11th, 2012
3:34 am
@vava74
“…Lou is much younger and is improving every year. Jamal is 30 and last year was a pretty bad year which could indicate that he is going down.
Check minutes per game as well, so you can have a better idea on who is the best passer (I haven’t checked yet, but it’s a hunch).
What else … Umm Lou has been in the playoffs at 23 and 24 years old.
Crawford was never a party to successful basketball and swapped teams – not by his own option – more often than you swap sox.
Lou has been dropped by PHI in favour of a super talented offensive talent which – surprise surprise – did not stick with the Clippers…
Major mistake by PHI in my opinion, but time will tell. Sincerely, I don’t see them making the playoffs without a major move to replace Brand…” – vava74 @2:09am dated 7/11/2012
First, Jamal Crawford is [currently] 32 years old. I find it “interesting”/”intriguing” that the Los Angeles Clippers chose to sign Jamal Crawford to a multi-year contract and not [(to) re-sign] Mo Williams, Randy Foye and Nick Young. And then the 76ers chose to sign Nick Young and not [(to) re-sign] Lou Williams. You do realize that Jamal Crawford was selected over the player [Nick Young] who was selected over Lou Williams – right? [Go figure.] What does that tell you about Jamal Crawford? It should tell you that he [Crawford] is [still] considered a valuable commodity/asset, a prolific scorer and was highly desired and sought after by a Clippers team that has strong aspirations of making a deep playoff run in an extremely competitive Western Conference.
You [vava74] said it was a “mistake” that Philly didn’t re-sign Lou Williams but, yet, you didn’t feel the Hawks made a “mistake” by not re-signing Jamal Crawford in 2011. For two consecutive post seasons [2010-2011], the Hawks with Crawford advanced to the EC Semis and won a total of ten [10] playoff games but, in the very next post season [2012], the Hawks without Crawford only won two playoff games and were eliminated in the first round [of the playoffs]. It appears [to me] the Hawks [franchise] made a “mistake” by not re-signing Jamal Crawford for the 2011-2012 regular season.
Jamal Crawford has the 2009-2010 SMOY Award on his [NBA] resume whereas Lou Williams has the 2011-2012 SMOY runner-up on his [NBA] resume.
vava74
July 11th, 2012
3:59 am
Rod,
This will be SO MUCH FUN:
Career averages and career averages per minute Lou vs Jamal:
FG%
Lou – .421
Jamal – .408
3pt%
Lou – .337
Jamal – .348
FTA (per minute):
Lou – 0.1668
Jamal – 0.1071
FTM (per minute):
Lou – 0.1330
Jamal – 0.0913
Rebounds per minute:
Lou – 0.0916
Jamal – 0.0805
Assists per minute:
Lou – 0.1361
Jamal – 0.1221
Turnovers per minute:
Lou – 0.0616
Jamal – 0.0643
Steals per minute:
Lou – 0.0374
Jamal – 0.0308
Points per minute:
Lou – 0.5180
Jamal – 0.4807
Clear advantage for Lou on ALL items, with the exception of 3 point fg%…
I rest my case!
vava74
July 11th, 2012
4:07 am
High-sider,
Being signed by the Clippers has never been a staple of a player’s quality… more of their poor management.
Also, last year, we did not have cap room to offer 5 million to Jamal since it would have catapulted us into luxury tax territory if we had used the mid-level exception…
And probably with questionable results, in particular with LD at the elm.
And what part of him shooting .380 for the year you don’t understand as bad?
I am going out on the limb and say that the Clippers will regret their option before Christmas.
vava74
July 11th, 2012
4:31 am
In summary Rod, I may be talking out of the side of my neck but you must be talking out of somewhere else less nice…
Bravesfan79
July 11th, 2012
5:05 am
We have a new Jamal Crawford. His name is Anthony Morrow, not Lou Williams.
Bravesfan79
July 11th, 2012
5:08 am
Vava: Knowing that Portlands roster was depleted last year by injuries, Crawford was guarded more heavily as he was their only real scoring option, and was counted on to make shot after shot just to keep the Blazers in games. Look for his shooting % to go up with the Clippers. How can anyone have anything against JC? He was a great teamate, never complained, and was clutch for the Hawks in his time here.
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
6:07 am
Crawford’s advantage over Williams is 4″ in height and longer arms. In this year’s playoffs, we saw what happens to 6′1″ shooting guards. They pretty much get shutdown unless they can also get to the rim. Lou Williams has experienced the same problems in his brief playoff career. Big drop off in his shooting %’s.
Lou’s regular season %’s, 42% & 33%. Lou’s postseason %’s, 36% & 23%.
Crawford actually has shot a higher % on 3’s in the playoffs, although it is also a small sample size.
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
6:35 am
Horford (12), Harris (8), Pachulia (5.3), Farmar (4.2), J. Williams (.8), and 3 picks for Howard (19.3), JRich (5.8), and Turkoglu (11.4). $30.3M in salary (before Farmar’s buyout) for $36.5M in salary. Basically $9M in savings after Farmar gets bought out.
Teague / Williams
JRich / Morrow / Jenkins
Turkoglu / Stevenson
Smith / Ivan /Scott
Howard / Butch
If Howard & Smith walk, you’d owe Teague, Williams, JRich, and Jenkins less than $20M, with another $6M paid to Turkoglu’s partially guaranteed contract.
Draft pick count:
(2) 2nd rd picks in 2013
a 1st and 2nd in 2014
a 2nd in 2015
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
6:43 am
If Dwight to Atlanta doesn’t happen today, we lessen our chances for the next couple of months. Only “package” trade eligible players for next two months are Teague, Smith, Horford, and Pachulia, after today.
brigadierjerry
July 11th, 2012
6:45 am
I have to give Ferry some credit at least he is trying and seems to have a plan. You can also see that you can always get rid of a bad contracts you just have to be creative.
It also also shows that Sund never tried making any big time moves and it shows
Wabe
July 11th, 2012
7:03 am
The Hawks have Jeff Teague as the returning starter at point guard. Teague, Harris and Williams provide an apparent surplus at point guard which could be an indication new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry is interested in another trade.
Ferry made a brief appearance at Tuesday’s practice but soon left, holding his cellphone to his ear.
“We’re still involved in talks,” Ferry told The Associated Press.
———
http://www.nba.com/2012/news/07/10/hawks-moves.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
7:03 am
I just wish I knew what the plan at SF was. I thought the MLE was kind of our ace in the hole. Offer someone like Pietrus a one year $5M contract. It’s overpaying, but it’s overpaying for only one year.
Instead, we use the MLE on a better player, but a player that will make our 6th guard on the roster, while we’re also looking at summer league guards like Sy and Hazell and Taylor.
I’m hoping for some more player movement today.
NORRIS CHUCK
July 11th, 2012
7:07 am
brigadierJerry,
Right about that! I was so sick and tired of hearing “We like our core.”
NORRIS CHUCK
July 11th, 2012
7:09 am
JustJoe,
There has got to be another trade coming cause an NBA team carrying that many G’s has to be preparing a deal of some sorts. Right now, ATL is loaded.
Any SF ideas out there? Anybody heard anything???
dap01
July 11th, 2012
7:11 am
Can we all just agree to forget about Jamal Crawford? Dang, he is gone. Move on.
falCans
July 11th, 2012
7:13 am
SOOOO EXCITED. HARRIS GETS TRADED FOR A SF &draft pic. pape sy makes teamwere a 6rh seed with ccap room!!! Aww the possibilities are endless
WHY ARE THEY STILL HERE ?????
July 11th, 2012
7:38 am
JUST MOVE TO SEATTLE ASAP PLEASE… NO INTEREST HERE ANYMORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vava74
July 11th, 2012
7:47 am
Lou faced MIA (twice) and CHI, two of the best defences in the league.
Jamal faced ORL (twice, being that the second time they were a ragged team and the first time the 4 games were blowouts) and CHI.
Take your conclusions.
I not saying that Lou is the second coming of MJ, merely that for 5 million should be a very good pickup, in particular given his age and potential for further development.
tp
July 11th, 2012
8:17 am
“Coach, just tell me what you need for me to do and I’ll be studying film, I’ll be studying tape, I want to get better in that area.’ He’s a great kid. I’m happy that he’s part of our organization.”
Let me get this straight … Coach Drew’s comments are in reference to an NBA player? AN NBA PLAYER? OK, now I get it … I just looked out my window and saw a pig with wings fly over my neighbor’s house … I’m dreaming!
Please tell me I wasn’t dreaming when I read that the Hawks have reportedly traded Marvin Williams … PLEASE!
tim
July 11th, 2012
8:26 am
Too bad you didn’t crash your car while tweeting.
that’s why it’s against the law.
KevinM
July 11th, 2012
8:34 am
I can’t wait to ‘Sy’ the new and improved Pape in SL.
He’s moving to SF to hide his jump shot.
kwooden
July 11th, 2012
8:41 am
@tim, not much of a “sense of humor” hey?
Buddy Grizzard
July 11th, 2012
8:42 am
“Jamal lovers will finally stop soaking their tampons.”
LOL!
“I like L.W. but I like the confidence that Jordan Crawford plays with better.”
People have really got to put down the crack pipe. Lou Williams was the leading scorer on a playoff team. JC2 wasn’t even the leading scorer on one of the worst teams in the NBA. Please, please get help.
Adios Corps
July 11th, 2012
8:42 am
exciting time to be a Hawks fan.
hope & change, yes we can!!!
it just keeps getting better in the ATL!
BIG DOG
July 11th, 2012
8:46 am
http://youtu.be/4BQ6iCgaoH8
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Buddy Grizzard
July 11th, 2012
8:50 am
So, let’s talk about the small forward position. It seems the options are dwindling fast. Grant Hill would be a brilliant signing, but he’s got one foot out the door to retirement. Not sure if he would be motivated to try to come in and manage the Hawks’ locker room. There is the Duke connection, however.
T-Mac would also be a brilliant signing. He complained about playing time last year. Well, the starting job is there for the taking. He was clearly the best player on Atlanta’s bench last year while Zaza was starting. Gerald Green? No brainer. If Danny pulls that one off we go ahead and get the permit for a parade for Ferry.
Beyond those three players, is there anyone we should be looking at? I would love to bring Damien Wilkins back. Otherwise, it looks like it might be Smoove and Ivan there for most of the year.
Adios Corps
July 11th, 2012
8:50 am
looks like the Hawks are trying to get better in the shooting the ball dept. good idea.
draft picks appear to shoot well and so does pick up Super Lou.
that is what beat the Hawks in the playoffs, Celts superior shot making ability.
Danny Ferry is doing his job. another good pickup for the ASG, boy have they really turned it around. now just keep it up.
BIG DOG
July 11th, 2012
8:51 am
http://youtu.be/Oc62Upxh5ac
Green and D12
Bring home Danny
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
July 11th, 2012
8:56 am
Gerald Green is 6′8
Can play SG OR SF
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
doc
July 11th, 2012
9:14 am
high-sider, yes supergirl is right. he is a double edged sword. he is also our main chance to make a ride deeper than we have been before. if he falls in our lap and wants to be here then i think he will perform. last year he didnt. another great player that finally got it right was lbj, notice i didnt use the other moniker i used to call him but also just plain lbj. heh heh
maybe d12 can get his groove back on and if he does then we all celebrate. if he dosnt then he moves on. without someone like him as a flyer this year we are probably done next year anyway so why not go with the flow and see what happens, right?
yeah, he shot svg in the back. sure shaq did it too but he never tried to do the my best friend slap on the back stuff that supergirl did. that is the lesson there. so i am going to be cautious if he arrives here in what happens, to say the least, because the diva is in him. he can obviously say one thing and do another on a big scale on the big stage. if he does comes here i would suggest others be just as careful until he gets his feet wet and see how serious he is. got it?
doc
July 11th, 2012
9:26 am
vava, the case looks like you can throw a blanket over the two, but not on age to our advantage and for years at four not three. so we got this guy who acts on the court like jamal at a much better price than we spent when we had jamal. we also are on for four years with lou, hopefully in his prime.
i liked jamal but not so much at 10 mil and said many times over, we had no money in the kitty the way sund and the asg operated last year to sign him. oh, we also now get lou at a premium to jamal of 1 mil a year, 6mil vs 5mil. man that is enough to pay one vet minimum. heh heh, maybe stack can come back and be our sf or better yet mooo evans!!!!!! bargain shoppers unite.
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
9:37 am
Has it been confirmed that Lou got 4 guaranteed years?
Astro Joe
July 11th, 2012
9:41 am
Just Joe, I don’t see a scenario where Ferry takes back both bad contracts from the Magic (certainly not without a signed extension). We should get the very best of Teague this season. His little brother is in the league (surely he doesn’t want the lil guy to do better), he potentially has Devin Harris and Lou Williams on the team fighting for PG time (hopefully Lou won’t be asked to play more than token minutes at PG, but with LD you never know) and he is a RFA at the end of the season. For all of the conspiracy theroists out there talking about the victimization of Jeff Teague, this is his season to break free from the middle of the pack (no excuses).
My preferred list of SFs (minimum wage only) is Pietrus, Grant Hill and Ronnie Brewer (in that order). IMO, we need a guy who comes in knowing they will likely get the 6th most FGAs on the team (behind Josh, Al, Lou, Teague & Morrow).
drmaryb.(""_*).
July 11th, 2012
9:44 am
D12 Watch!
Rick Buchler-sic, on ESPN information re: Where will D12 land is about as reliable as Andre Rison paying child support. Sunday, Rick said, “D12 is 80% gonna’ be a Net.” Monday ‘Slick Rick’ said, “D12 is 60% gonna’ be a Net.” Just now, Rick said, “I was wrong, now he’s gonna’ be a Laker, via Houston … but, the same issues keep arising here, The Magic wants to unload those bad contracts of Hedo & Duhon, J-Rich in any deal and, just take back future 1st round picks and expiring C’s … this year The Magic have 55M in salary w/o D12 & next year they have 53M w/only 5 players signed again, w/out D12. The problem is The Magic wants other teams to pay their bad contracts to get D12 and, that will not work for any team that wants D12.”
Again, Rick Buchler-sic, knows about as much as any of us … not much. Rick did say The Atlanta Hawks deal will land Horford, maybe Teague in Orlando, but that will not allow them to rebuild through the draft and, they will still be laden with too many of those bad ‘Otis Smith’ contracts … that includes
The Amnesty of Gilbert Arenas, (while a cap saving move – it still has to be paid by The Magic – at the end of the day.
Astro Joe
July 11th, 2012
9:45 am
And add Bill Walker to my list as well (of cheap SFs). And move Brewer to #2, behind Pietrus.
drmaryb.(""_*).
July 11th, 2012
9:50 am
Lang Greene @LangGreene
The Hawks are loading up on perimeter shooters this summer. Anthony Morrow, John Jenkins and now potentially looking to add Korver to mix.
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RETWEETS
9:23 AM – 11 Jul 12 via Twitter for BlackBerry® · Details
24m DeadJournalist @DeadJournalist
@LangGreene something is going to happen … something big … can’t shake the feeling.
Retweeted by brian johnson
NORRIS CHUCK
July 11th, 2012
9:51 am
Lang Greene:The Hawks are loading up on perimeter shooters this summer. Anthony Morrow, John Jenkins and now potentially looking to add Korver to mix.about 24 minutes ago
Lang Greene:The Atlanta Hawks are rumored to be interested in trading for Kyle Korver http://bit.ly/Mihhkgabout 33 minutes ago
drmaryb.(""_*).
July 11th, 2012
9:53 am
Getting Busy!
Man! Mr. Ferry is one busy GM. Does he ever sleep? …. Danny Boy going – as hard as a dinner plate. D12 or not, he working!
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
9:55 am
Hinrich S&T for Korver would be a good deal for both clubs. Saves Chicago some money. Adds another shooter with a little more height (6′7″) to the Hawks.
High-sider
July 11th, 2012
9:55 am
@vava74
“High-sider,
Being signed by the Clippers has never been a staple of a player’s quality… more of their poor management…” – vava74 @4:07am dated 7/11/2012
So, I guess it was “good” management by the Hawks to overpay Mike Bibby on his contract extension, overpay Marvin Williams on his contract extension, overpay Joe Johnson on his contract extension, “force” Josh Smith to seek a contract offer from another NBA franchise before matching the offer, let Jamal Crawford “walk” for nothing, keep Jason Collins on the roster, [according to Buddy Grizzard] sign Jannero Pargo and Josh Powell, [according to you and many other bloggers] hire Larry Drew as head coach, overpay Jon “Contract” Koncak on his contract extension, draft Marvin Williams as the No. 2 overall pick in 2005, draft Shelden Williams as the No. 5 overall pick in 2006 and trade Dominique Wilkins for injury-prone Danny Manning?
Given the history of Atlanta Hawks’ management blunders, how can you [vava74] criticize the Los Angeles Clippers’ management?
jay
July 11th, 2012
10:00 am
Does anyone see a pattern here? Spurs have slashing quick PG with a bunch of 3 point shooters and a big man. hmmmmmmm
drmaryb.(""_*).
July 11th, 2012
10:00 am
Seems like between KG blasting Gearon,Jr and Mr. Ferry shoving them deeper into The Dollar Tree – bargain Bin … The ASKG are ghost right now.
Ann Culter-sic, on ESPN just reported, “It seems like the D12 to LA deal is going to go down.” … we shall see very soon. Like I told all the, “LET’S WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR” people on here … D12 is moving now! He will not be available to us next year. It’s either now or never & just stop with the, “WE CAN SAVE OUR MONEY” and, get him as an UFA!
Get him now and woo him to stay, like The Nets did Deron. Risk Takers win or lose, but they take risks.
Just Joe
July 11th, 2012
10:03 am
PG: Teague / Williams
SG: Morrow / Jenkins
SF: Turkoglu / Korver
PF: Scott
C: Butch
would that qualify as surrounding Dwight & Josh with 3-pt shooters?