But, as you may already know, the Hawks have signed swingman Maurice Evans to a contract and hopefully to try to help replace some of what was lost when Josh Childress took off for Athens.

I am a big fan of this signing. Evans has always struck me as the kind of guy who could do more if asked, and his stature in the league seems to have grown each year after originally going undrafted out of Texas in 2000.

Speaking of which - I am, of course, ecstatic to be adding a former Longhorn to the Hawks roster, though I'm curious to know how much Texas pride Evans has after plying his trade there for only one season (Evans played two years at Wichita State before transferring to Texas before his junior year, then was an early entrant for the draft).

Evans rep is as a terrific perimeter defender, something the Hawks can definitely use after Childress' departure, and is also an improving three-point shooter.

Evans doesn't replace Childress, but he is a great addition (at a reportedly low cost - the Hawks don't release contract terms, but the word from Sekou Smith is 3 years, a little over 7 million) to the squad no matter what.

In other news, SS is also reporting the Hawks have reached an agreement with Randolph Morris, recently of the New York Knicks and a former AAU teammate of Josh Smith. Morris will definitely help shore up the frontcourt, and hopefully along with Zaza Pachulia will allow Al Horford to play some more minutes at the 4 instead of the 5.

I know we are all still bummin' about Chills and the unresolved situation with Josh Smith, but these are both positive moves for the franchise nonetheless.

Update: I had a chance to sit and chat with Evans after he signed his contract, and he struck me as a cool customer with confidence in his game and a chip on his shoulder to still prove his place in this league. For your sake, I edited out all the parts of the conversations regarding Texas sports...

Update #2: Morris is official, he signed the contract today. I hope to talk with him on Friday about returning to his hometown.

Arthur Triche, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, is out with the Hawks summer league squad at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He'll be posting his thoughts frequently for the Hawks BasketBlog while he's out there to give everyone a glimpse of which Hawks players are doing damage and which free agents are making an impression...

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah ----- Hip, hip, hooray!!!  The last day...hahaha!
 
Seriously, it's been a good week and as usual the Utah staff does a excellent job of running the Rocky Mountain Revue, and we appreciate the hospitality.  When I asked how many years had the RMR been in play, I was told since 1984...wow!

The Hawks and Warriors have run up and down the floor for almost two minutes without scoring -- it is 11 am -- and both teams are minus several players.  Atlanta's Acie Law had to return home to take care of some personal business (nothing serious, but he had to go), and Thomas Gardner was inserted into the starting lineup to replace him.

Gardner, who may likely get an invite to fall camp (along with Hunter and Jackson), nailed the first jumper of the day to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead, then Jeremy Richardson (who has really struggled the last two games) adds one of two FTs to hopefully get off the snide.  Following an Anthony Randolph (first round pick from where??  LSU!!) slams home a miss to make it 5-3 and Richardson adds to more FTs to even things once more.

The two teams will have to push through it this morning -- because literally no one's here, well maybe a half-hundred diehard friends.

Coming out of a timeout (and an 8-8 score) -- it's been the Gardner and Anthony Morrow (formerly of Georgia Tech) show.  While I haven't had a chance to watch a lot of the other teams play this week, Morrow and former McEachern product Morris Almond have both represented themselves well.  Almond has averaged 19.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in the five games (Utah wraps up action tonight against Dallas), and according to reports, he could figure more into Utah's plans if they elect to not match the free agent contract offer to C.J. Miles by Oklahoma City.  The Jazz have to decide by midnight tonight.  While Almond is the third leading scorer in the RMR, Morrow leads the bunch heading into today's game with 23.0 ppg.  He is also shooting 57 percent from the field (fifth in the RMR) and tops the group from three-point range after hitting 10-of-12.

Heyyyyyyy!!  The Hawks bench sends out some love for teammate Demetric Bennett, who hadn't scored at all this week until the two minute mark when his layup tied things up at 13.  Prior to that shot, Bennett was 0-for-11.  Lookout!!  He's on fire, nailing a three as the Hawks take their first lead, 16-13, and increase the margin when Brian Randle slams from the right baseline with 21 seconds left.  That man Bennett is at work again, hitting a jumper at the buzzer to give Atlanta a 20-13 first quarter lead.

The Warriors to on a 8-0 run before BENNETT(!!) goes right down the middle for a dunk -- where has this guy been all week?? -- to give deadlock things at 22-all.  Despite all of that, Atlanta has to button things up, they're getting outplayed and outhustled as Golden State takes a 26-22 lead, prompting coach Larry Drew to call a timeout.

Man, I have never seen Richardson miss so many wideopen shots.  He is 0-for-5 thus far (BENNETT (!!) for three, Hawks trail 32-30) and 4-for-his-last-24 jumper...wow.  Bennett has 14 points to lead all scorers thus far, he's going to make up for the entire week in one game.  Gardner's triple gives Atlanta a 37-32 lead, but the Hawks give up another layup on the ensuing play.  Golden State has a 20-10 advantage in the paint.

The Hawks are clicking on offense after shooting 39 percent in the first quarter, as Randle and Gardner each convert layups on their own and the lead builds to 41-34 with 1:37 left before the half.   BENNETT (!!) gets another and Gardner drills another three before GState commits a turnover giving the Hawks the last shot, which falls short and Atlanta leads by ten at the half, 46-36.

Gardner and BENNETT (!!) each have 16 points at intermission and the Hawks are shooting 47.1% from the floor, after hitting nine-of-16 in the second.

After the quickest intermission in RMR history -- five minutes, ya'll -- these teams are really trying hard to make their flights -- Atlanta goes right back on the attack.  Richardson finally gets untracked and Jackson hits a three before Randolph answers for the Warriors, it's 53-42 Hawks.  Randolph is serving as the GState point guard -- a 6-8 stringbean -- and he's probably best suited to be somewhere else after Jackson strips him and goes in for the breakaway layup.

During a timeout, equipment manager Zac Walsh, athletic trainer Wally Blase and I try to come up with a nickname for BENNETT (!!), who has nailed all but two of his 10 attempts today.  The best one??  "The Crockpot", by ZW.  The three of us had dinner after last night's game with Drew and assistant coach Bob Bender and either Bender or myself cracked that Bennett would probably go for 30 today -- saving his best for last.  He may yet prove us correct...

The Hawks increase the lead to 16 (62-46) after a Gardner jumper, and moments later it's da' 'Pot as BENNETT (!!) gets three more points to up his total to 21.  Nine away...haha!  Alright son, way to show me what'cha got.

BENNETT (!!) AGAIN!  A three -- six down -- and Hunter on a layup from Jackson has Atlanta ahead by 18 (74-56) with 20 seconds left in the third.  Four away...BENNETT (!!) on a scoop to help the Hawks to a 20-point lead at the end.  To borrow from legendary baseball announcer Jack Buck, "I can't believe what I'm seeing!!"

Randolph is silky smooth folks, he could see a lot of action for the Warriors this year.  He may not have a solid build at this point, but he doesn't have any fear in driving to the basket.  GState is trying to force the action, and I guess so, since they're down 19, 81-62.  They show a bit of energy and narrow it to 15, causing Drew to call a timeout with an 81-65 advantage.

The Hawks get right back into it as Hunter converts and Richardson makes his easiest jumper in some time to push Atlanta ahead, 85-68 with six minutes left.  Yawnnn, the Warriors get a few, and BENNETT (!!) is two shy of 30 as the Hawks keep the pressure on, and former Hawk guard and GState coach Sidney Moncrief signals for a timeout.  The two teams trade threes, and the clock ticks away...Delta, here we come.

Gardner's at free throw line and Drew substitutes for BENNETT (!!) -- hey coach, put him back in!! -- so he may not get it...wait a minute, BENNETT (!!) returns, yep, yep!  Richardson makes a strong move to the hole, gets fouled with 2:25 left, and hits the two FTs as Atlanta leads 94-80.  The Warriors get a three-point play to cut it to 11, but Randolph picks up a strange technical which BENNETT (!!) makes (one away!) to give the Hawks a 97-81 margin.

Out of a timeout, it appears Drew is going to diagram a play for BENNETT (!!).  Check that, another technical has been called on the Warriors -- their trainer!!!  This has got to end...and soon!  Things are really getting out of control as Randolph gets the gate after another T -- come on, Golden State, this isn't funny anymore.  But for "the Crockpot" -- BENNETT (!!), he gets the RMR single game scoring high with 30.  Nice job, son.

The Hawks are really pouring in on now, as the Warriors have given up.  Way to finish up the week Atlanta.  FINAL SCORE, Hawks 105-Warriors 91.  Joining Bennett among the Atlanta's top scorers were Gardner (27), Hunter (20) and Richardson (11).  DeMarcus Nelson and Randolph finished with 21 and 20 respectively.  Bob Kurz and Morrow had 17 and 15 for Golden State.  Atlanta finishes up the week with an impressive 4-2 record, trailing only Golden State and San Antonio in the loss column at 3-1.  It's been fun, folks, until next time...peace!

CURRENT STANDINGS
Golden State Warriors -- 3-1
San Antonio Spurs ------- 3-1
Atlanta Hawks ------------- 4-2
Dallas Mavericks --------- 3-2 (with one game left later today against Utah)
Utah Jazz ------------------- 3-2 (with one left against Dallas)
Iran Olympic National --- 0-2
D-League Ambassadors - 0-3
New Jersey Nets ----------- 0-3
 
 
SCORING BY QUARTERS
Warriors ----- 13 - 23 - 20 - 35 ----- 91
Hawks ------- 20 - 26 - 30 - 29 ----- 105
 
LEADING SCORERS
Warriors -- Nelson 21, Randolph 20, Kurz 17, Morrow 15
Hawks ---- Bennett 30, Gardner 27, Hunter 20, Richardson 11
 
LEADING REBOUNDERS
Warriors -- two with 7
Hawks ----- Richardson 9
 
ASSIST LEADERS
Warriors -- Nelson 5
Hawks ---- Jackson 7

Arthur Triche, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, is out with the Hawks summer league squad at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He'll be posting his thoughts frequently for the Hawks BasketBlog while he's out there to give everyone a glimpse of which Hawks players are doing damage and which free agents are making an impression...

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH ----- Sometimes it's best to get back to playing ball...

It was a hectic, strange and frustrating day yesterday, on many levels, and I'm not about to rehash the events surrounding Josh Childress' departure fro.m the Hawks to Olympiakos. What's done is done, and whatever I think isn't going to change things. And yes, while I do have many opinions on the matter, I have learned to move forward in this business (after 25+ years in sports, and the last 18 with the Hawks) and deal with the highs and lows as they occur and hope things work out for the best in the long run.

So, we all will have to wait and see.

I do know this...I don't really feel like writing much tonight, but I'm not going to shortchange those of you who have wanted to know what happens with summer league team, and I've certainly appreciated the kind words from those who have commented on the reports from SLC.

The Hawks and Jazz resume action after a day off, with Utah looking to avenge a 72-63 loss on Saturday. Both teams are showing their rust early on, and Jeremy Richardson is really struggling. He missed a wideopen layup within the first few minutes -- this after shooting 2-11 on Tuesday, but he rebounded with an easy bunny to get on the board. Let's hope this bodes well for him tonight.

Utah has a different starting five out here in the rematch and it's showing in their effort. The only starters from game two back in the lineup are guards Earl Calloway and Morris Almond and center Kyrylo Fesenko, and until Thomas Gardner nailed a three at the 3:20 mark (14-9 Utah), the Jazz looked like they were trying to put this one away early.

Unfortunately, Atlanta's shooting like I feel -- missing on six of their first 14 attempts for 29% shooting -- not good. The Jazz, on the other hand, has nailed 7-of-11 of their shots. Two straight miscues by the Hawks and coach Larry Drew is forced to make some lineup changes.

Gardner's been the only bright spot as the first quarter comes to a close. He has five of Atlanta's 14 points, as the Hawks trail by six. Luke Jackson has a three, while Acie Law, Mario West and Richardson (1-4 FGs) each have two. Othello Hunter returned to action after missing Tuesday's game with a hamstring strain, and he's scoreless after five minutes (0-2 FGs). Almond's come out firing for Utah, hitting eight on 4-of-5 shots.

Thank goodness for Gardner. A three right in front of the Jazz bench ties the score at 20-all, then Utah comes right back as Mike Efevberha (Cal-State Fullerton -- and add some more vowels to that name!) takes Jackson to the bucket for a three-point play, 23-20 Utah.

The Hawks fight back to even things at 23, but big Kevin Lyde muscles the Jazz back in front with 7:40 left in the second (25-23). Law returns to the court as Olumide Oyedeji goes to the line for two. He misses the first...makes the second and Atlanta applies full-court pressure. It almost works as they almost lull Brian Jackson into a turnover, but Utah retains possession -- and does nothing with it as Kosta Koufos is short with his jumper.

Law gets fouled and his two freebies puts the Hawks in front for the first time, 26-25 with six left. Atlanta has done a good job of fighting through its offensive difficulties to take the lead, despite its 33.3 shooting. Maybe Utah should have kept it's second unit on the bench...

Just when it appeared as if the Hawks had lost their way, Law hits a three and dishes on a layup attempt to West, who goes to the line for two (he's holding his wrist after getting fouled and falling hard to the floor) -- missed the first, hit the second -- and Atlanta moves ahead 32-29 with at the 3:10 mark.

In looking at the stat sheet during a timeout, the Hawks have done a good job on the boards to negate Utah's decided edge (remember on Saturday when I told you the Jazz had nine player at 6-9 or better??). They only trail by two in the rebounding column, 16-14. All of sudden Atlanta has gone turnover happy, and jumpers by Leemire Goldwire and Brian Greene have awaken the crowd.

Following a Richardson jumper, Utah increases their lead by four after Greene is fouled on a put-back (38-34) with 45 seconds left, and the teams only manage to score one more point (Atlanta) before the horn sounds at the half with the Hawks trailing 38-35.

West's three ties the game to open the second half, his seventh point of the night, Utah scores four straight before Richardson halts that with two free throws to make it 42-40 Jazz. Things get ragged again and Atlanta's offense sputters as we watch Utah jump out to a 49-43 lead (6:10 in the third). Another Hawk turnover and they're lucky the Jazz fail to score on a fastbreak attempt before a timeout is called...this is getting painful to watch.

Utah is controlling things in the paint offensively, outscoring the Hawks 26-8 in the paint -- increase that by two more as they convert off yet another Atlanta mistake to take a 51-43 advantage. After two FTs by Law, Rickey Paulding lets sail with a corner jumper for the Jazz at the 4:40 mark. Atlanta's struggling again from the floor, hitting only three FGs this quarter, yet, they're only down three as Jackson strokes a three and Oyedeji hits two FTs to make it 53-50.

Oh, forgot to mention that after I got done with my "real" responsibilities of handing the PR duties as it related to what is being termed "Atlanta's Greek Tragedy", I finally got a chance to see "The Dark Knight". And holy moses Batman, it was worth the 2 1/2 hours and then some. The man-toys used by the Caped Crusader were outstanding and the late Heath Ledger is deserving of all the accolades that have come his way. His portrayal of the Joker was phenomenal (yes, better than Jack Nicholson) and one of the funniest scenes involves him at the Gotham General Hospital (just watch the mannerisms). If you get a chance, check it out...this could be the biggest blockbuster in some time. It's already made over $200m in less than a week.

As the third quarter comes to a close, the Hawks trail by three, 60-57. Law got it going with nine points. He shooting 5-of-11 tonight, to go along with three assists and two boards. After two attempts, the Hawks tie it up at 60-all on Jackson's three, and after he is derailed on a fast-break attempt by the wide-load Lyde, Jackson hits Oyedeji inside for a three-point play to give Atlanta a 63-60 lead. Unfortunately for the Lukester, he woke up the home crowd moments later on a missed dunk and on the next play, Utah jumped ahead on a three-point play by Koufos. 65-63 Jazz with 7:30 left.

Utah makes it 70-65 before Law's layup with four and half left cuts it to three. Atlanta forces a turnover, Gardner throws it ahead to Jackson -- this time he lays it up -- and the Hawks trail by one, 70-69 and Corbin calls a timeout with 3:52 remaining. Whoa!! The Jazz turn in the plays of the night thus far, rejecting a layup by Law and a follow attempt by Oyedeji. Atlanta appears to have dodged a bullet and Hiram Fuller misses two bunnies, but he gets fouled and converts on his third attempt to make the three-point play, 73-69. Another jumper by Utah makes it a six-point lead and the Hawks need points more than ever. Oyedeji makes one of two (75-70) with 2:10 left and the Hawks get the ball back on a turnover. Can't waste a lot of time here...arrgh! Law and Jackson fail to score and Utah gets the ball back with 80 seconds left. Jackson dunks on a breakaway, but Utah responds with free throws to keep it at five (77-72) with 1:30 remaining, as the Hawks call TO. Atlanta has to be quick about it, but they're taking too much time. Law is bailed out on a jumper by the officials and he goes to the line for two. He drops both with :53.8 left and Utah spreads it out. Atlanta doesn't have to foul and they get the ball back after Calloway takes a bad long range shot. Law misses on the layup attempt and Calloway is fouled with 21 seconds left. He makes both and the Hawks appear to be on the verge of dropping their second straight.

Randle dunks out of the timeout to make it 79-76 with 14 ticks left, and the Jazz call another TO. Randle scores again, but Utah's victorious tonight, winning their third in a row -- 83-78. The Hawks will conclude action in the Rocky Mountain Revue Friday with an 11 a.m. (1 ET) contest against the Golden State Warriors.

CURRENT STANDINGS
Golden State Warriors 3-0
San Antonio Spurs 3-1
Atlanta Hawks 3-2
Dallas Mavericks 3-2
Utah Jazz 3-2
Iran Olympic National 0-2
D-League Ambassadors 0-3
New Jersey Nets 0-3

SCORING BY QUARTERS
Hawks ---- 14 - 21 - 22 - 21 ----- 78
Jazz ------- 20 - 18 - 22 - 23 ----- 83

LEADING SCORERS
Hawks -- Law 21, Jackson 16, Gardner 11
Jazz ----- Almond 29

LEADING REBOUNDERS
Hawks -- Oyedeji 7
Jazz ----- two with 6

ASSIST LEADERS
Hawks -- Law 5
Jazz ----- Calloway 7

Just got off the conference call with Rick Sund and the media, so I'll try to provide some insight into what happened. Sund didn't get into any of the details of the negotiations (he still has negotiations on-going with Josh Smith and others), but he definitely made it clear that he felt the Hawks made a competitive offer to Childress, more than any other NBA team was offering. While he didn't come right out and say Childress took the money and ran, the details of the contract (courtesy of Sekou Smith) show that the difference between what the Hawks offered and what Olympiakos gave him was substantial. Like twice as much substantial.

Look, I'm a Hawks employee, but I'm just as big a Hawks fan as anyone. I've followed the team since I was a little boy growing up in Mississippi, and I've been through the highs and lows over the past 20 years like everyone else. That Childress is gone, and we have no compensation in return (other than the cap space previously reserved for him), is a tough blow, no doubt.

And while there are many who want to blame Hawks management and ownership for what happened, I just don't know if that is really fair in this case.

The NBA is a business. The teams that are most successful (in the NBA and in all of sports) are the ones that spend their money wisely and don't let emotions get in the way of what makes the most business sense. How many times have we seen teams overpay for players and then end up with albatross salaries they regretted almost immediately thereafter?

Did Rick Sund want to keep Josh Childress? You bet. We all did. He was a huge part of the team's success last season and (in theory) a big part of its future. But does it make sense to give him 10 million a year (or something even remotely close to that)? It doesn't. I'd wager you'd be hard-pressed to find any NBA person who would claim otherwise.

Josh Childress is a wonderful player (I've been a champion of his importance to the team his entire career), but the Hawks would be making a huge mistake to pay him that kind of money, considering what they are paying (and will soon be paying) other players on the roster. He was an important part of the Hawks rotation, but he wasn't a star, and 10-mill a year is star territory, at least to teams that spend their money wisely.

As Sund said on the call, Atlanta made Childress a competitive offer, and it was more than any other team appeared willing to give. Childress' agents were charged with getting their client the best deal they could, and my hat is off to them for doing so in a creative way. They clearly weren't going to get this kind of money for Chills in the NBA, and decided this was a risk that was worth taking for him (and while we're here, this isn't even that risky a deal for Josh. He doesn't have a huge buyout that would make it difficult for him to leave and he has an option to terminate the contract after every season, making it very easy for him to return should he find Greece a bad fit).

I know most people want to blame Hawks management and ownership for letting this happen, and if that is your opinion you are entitled. But at least consider this:

Professional sports are, for the most part, very orthodox. Change is rare; teams and players follow the same paths over and over and over again. You see it all the time - baseball teams still sacrifice bunt and issue intentional walks despite increasing evidence that those plays are nowhere near as helpful as previously thought; NFL teams punt on 4th and short even though the opportunity to keep possession is well worth the risk; in the NBA, coaches continue to let teams shoot game-tying three-pointers with the clock winding down rather than fouling them and giving up a pair of free throws. Changes to those strategies are often (if not always) met with a heavy dose of skepticism from peers and colleagues.

That is why a move like this one is so hard to comprehend - an American player of Childress' caliber has simply never left the NBA at this stage in his career, not with reasonable money on the table. It's easy to throw blame at the Hawks, but what if there is more to it than that?

Not to go all Harvard, but today's global economy is much different than it used to be. The euro is much stronger than the dollar, making it very easy for European teams to make competitive (or in this case, far superior) financial offers to NBA players. The top European teams are making more and more money every year, giving them large enough budgets to handle contracts of this size without even blinking. This was going to happen eventually, it just took the right kind of player to take the bait, and frankly, I think Childress is that guy.

Chills is not like most NBA players (afro aside). Every time I've chatted with him at the start of seasons past he's raved about his trips abroad over the summer, including trips to China and Africa as part of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program. He realizes there is a much larger world out there, and he's experienced a good bit of it. Right off the bat, the idea of playing in a foreign land was going to be much more palatable to him than most.

Josh is also a guy who, though dedicated to his craft, maybe doesn't see basketball as the end-all be-all of his existence. He has continued to work towards a business degree over the past few summers and spoke often of wanting to be as successful off the court as he is on it. Therefore I can absolutely see where playing in the NBA, just because it's "the NBA", might not be enough of a reason on it's own (the way it would be for many of his peers) to keep Childress stateside.

Maybe the money, coupled with the opportunity to travel and see the world, was enough to make him happy - regardless of what it meant to his NBA stature. I think that's entirely possible, even if it's hard for us to understand.

I don't know if Chills' move is a sign of things to come (in the same way Kevin Garnett ushered in the era of prep-to-pros players) or is more the random actions of a single player (think Ricky Williams retiring from the NFL). Only time will tell.

All I know is that, like the rest of us, I was stunned by Chilldress' decision. I honestly don't think the Hawks ever really thought something like this could happen. But regardless of the reasons, it did happen and Josh Childress is gone.

We can lament the situation all we want, but the most important thing now is to figure out how to replace him.

Any ideas?

Pardon my absence so far today, as I have been at a conference in Chicago since Sunday and am just now getting back into town. Talk about bad timing. I literally just found out about the Childress situation, and like most of you, I am devastated. I think it is way too early to declare anything about what has happened with any certainty, so I will refrain from commenting too much on it other than to say that this is fairly unprecedented, and I don't think anyone saw this coming. Even if it was a possibility, I don't think anyone really thought an NBA player in his prime would bolt for a European team, especially if he wasn't, you know, European.

Rick Sund will be conducting a conference call at 4:30 ET today, and after that I hope to have some more answers to give everyone.

I'm sure you'll have a lot to say in the comments, but like I said, I don't think we should judge anyone on this until more facts are in...

Arthur Triche, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, is out with the Hawks summer league squad at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He'll be posting his thoughts frequently for the Hawks BasketBlog while he's out there to give everyone a glimpse of which Hawks players are doing damage and which free agents are making an impression...

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH ----- To those of us who watch the Hawks practice on a daily basis at Philips Arena, we got a dose of "home" today. I'll say no more on that...

We've enjoyed a nice stretch of sunny skies (and little humidity, sorry Atlanta) here since our arrival, but a rough thunderstorm hit the Salt Lake Community College area after we were thankfully in the building, which will certainly cool things off this afternoon. Unfortunately for Hawks head coach Mike Woodson, the showers drenched him -- that's what he gets for showing up when he did...hahaha.

BAM!!
KAPOW!!
Golly sakes, Batman??!! What in the dark knight was going on overseas the past few days??!! I'm a religious watcher of MSNBC and CNN in the morning (and occasionally, the Fox News Channel -- that's for you, voice of Hawks, Steve Holman -- although I do like MSNBC's Keith Olbermann's "Fox Noise" label better) and earlier today, I came across news of Batman star Christian Bale begin accused of assault by his (ZAP!!) mother and sister...unbelievable. Where was Alfred when you needed him??? Not the kind of noise, I mean news you need as you're trying to promote a movie...nope, nope, nope.

BTW, I hope you got a chance to see NBC's TODAY show today, they featured last night's Utah-Iranian Olympic game, discussing the Iranian team's trip to the Mountains as their prepare for the Beijing Games. The internationals certainly seemed to enjoy their stay in the States and here's hoping they get a chance to have some success next month in China -- except if they face Team USA. Oh yeah, I forgot, Utah beat them, 82-57.

Anyway, I guess I have a few eyeballs checking out my exploits from the RMR, because Acie Law stopped by the press table prior to this afternoon's tipoff and said, "Write something good about me today!" HAHA!! I didn't know he cared.

Big day today for the Hawks as we get set for the showdown against San Antonio. Coach Larry Drew would like to see the blue and white get this one with an off-day scheduled for all the teams on Wednesday. Unfortunately, we're going to have to get it done without current team MVP Othello Hunter, who will miss today's game with a strained left hamstring, according to athletic trainer Wally Blase. Hunter, who has averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, leading the team in both categories, is expected to return to action on Thursday.

The Spurs are looking to rebound from their first loss of the tourney (Monday vs. Dallas) and they currently enjoy a 13-10 lead at the 3:47 mark in the first quarter. Law is certainly being aggressive at the onset, forcing the action offensively, and pulling the Hawks to within one, 13-12. San Antonio is knocking down shots all over the court thus far, shooting 63 percent and following two straight threes, they've jacked that lead back up to seven, 19-12. They're on an 8-0 run, forcing Drew to signal timeout -- they've (S.A.) upped that percentage to 73%.

Atlanta's missing Hunter's presence, and San Antonio's making things difficult, forcing the Hawks into 30 percent shooting (3-of-10) before Luke Jackson -- whose offense is sorely needed today -- nails a three, 21-14 Spurs.

The Hawks have cut it to six, 24-18, at the end of one, but they will have to earn this win on the defensive end today. San Antonio's nailing shots from everywhere -- there goes ANOTHER THREE -- their fourth in less than two quarters...make that FIFTH, as they hit another, of the game (I'm getting sick of them already)!! Okay, there we go! Atlanta's Thomas Gardner connects on the Hawks' first longrange bomb to make it 30-21. Law is certainly playing with something to prove as he takes San Antonio's Roger Powell to the basket again (did I inspire this??!!).

Mario West's breakaway layup narrows the deficit to six with 7:14 left, and Olumide Oyedeji's put back has Atlanta trailing by four, their closest in quite a while. There's that man again -- LAW!! He gets fouled on another sprint to the basket and his two freebies has the Hawks on a 8-0 run to cut it to two (31-29). San Antonio has suddenly gone cold -- and the game is now tied! The Hawks execute perfectly off a steal with Jeremy Richardson passing it over his shoulder to Frank Robinson to the 31-31 score. Now it's the Spurs turn to call a TO!

Another steal by the suddenly aggressive Hawks and West goes in for the uncontested dunk to give Atlanta their first lead of the day. San Antonio answers and Law comes down the floor and from way downtown...BANG! May I never say another bad thing about him again...not that I did before (I think...haha!).

One of Atlanta's defensive principles is being exposed right now -- NO LAYUPS!! San Antonio has gone back-to-back to go back in front 39-35 coming up to the two-minute mark. In addition, Richardson has picked up his third foul (players can't foul out in the RMR), and he hasn't been able to get off on the offensive end at all thus far.

Law's layup -- there's that man again -- closes out first half scoring as the Spurs lead, 41-39.

San Antonio has cooled to finish with a 54% halftime shooting performance, while the Hawks have hit 40 percent of their attempts. Despite the Spurs' 5-of-11 clip from three-point range, Atlanta has narrowed things with 10-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe. They need to do a better job on the boards, as San Antonio has doubled them so far, 20-10, with seven coming on the offensive end. Law has 12 points on 3-of-8 FGs and a perfect six from the FT line, and Anthony Tolliver leads the Spurs with 14 -- he hasn't missed a shot yet -- hitting all five of his attempts (four from three).

WHOA!!! Law drills a three and gets fouled, he makes it and Atlanta's run is now eight straight! San Antonio summer coach Mike Budenholzer has seen enough -- Atlanta's up 45-41. The Spurs finally halt the run with a couple of free throws, and Richardson appears to be ready to get off the snide with a technical FT -- check that, he missed. Richardson misses again, but LOOK OUT!!! West climbs over a couple of guys and "send(s) it in, Jerome!!!!" (that's in honor of CBS's Bill Raftery, one of my favorite analysts)...Hawks up by four again, 47-43 with six left in the third. Too bad this game won't be replayed, that was the dunk of the tournament

Just dawned on me that Speedy Claxton isn't here today. He had to return home to take care of a personal family matter, so here's hoping everything okay there.

It's Law's day today...he just picked up a charge and he was clearly inside the circle. "Acie's Laws" is ruling the roost! San Antonio briefly enjoyed a lead, until Gardner answered again with a long-range jumper to put the Hawks back in front by one, 50-49 at the 3:50 mark. Ooooh, a missed opportunity by Atlanta as Gardner's pass to a wide-open Jackson goes awry giving the Spurs a chance to jump out in front again. They (S.A.) are attacking the boards once more, and that aggressiveness has them ahead again, 54-50. Atlanta trails by two, 54-52, heading into the final period (Law has game-high scoring honors thus far with 16).

Gardner's picking up the slack in Hunter's absence, with a scoop layup tying things up at 54, but OH - MY - GOODNESS!!, San Antonio's James Gist just topped West's dunk of the week, posterizing Atlanta's Robinson with full extension...nasty!! Robinson, whoops, he almost got his own dunk attempt pinned by the rim, slams it home and the Hawks regain the lead, 58-56 with eight left. Things getting a bit uneasy for the Hawks right now as San Antonio goes up by four, 62-58, until -- yep, the Law does it again, with a three-pointer to cut it to one. The Spurs get called for goaltending on Oyedeji's FG and Atlanta's leading now, 63-62.

Richardson is struggling big time, making the second of two FTs -- his first point of the day to tie it up at 64, but Brian Morrison launches a three and the Spurs take a 67-64 lead. The Hawks fail to respond, and Jackson is reinserted into the lineup with less than five minutes left. FINALLY!! Richardson takes it strong to the hole for his first basket, it's 67-66 San Antonio, but Morrison draws a foul on JR at the other and makes both FTs to put the Spurs back up by three. Budenholzer just gave us a laugh at the scorers table when he sent Roger Powell in the game, telling him he was to guard Jackson, saying "Jackson...the white guy". Before you get your panties in a wad PC police, Budenholzer's Caucasian too...

Morrison hits another three, and Law takes him strong to the basket on the ensuing possession to cut it to two, 72-70 with three remaining. Richardson's feeling it now, he ties it at 72. Jackson strips Powell and nails a three on the other end as the Hawks take a 75-72 lead! A little more than two minutes left, timeout San Antonio. Out of that TO, Malik Hairston gets a twisting layup to go in to make it 75-74 Atlanta. The Hawks miss on their next chance and San Antonio get a three from Tolliver (doggone it!!) to lead 77-75. Law gets called for a charge, gotta give the stripe shirts credit on that one, a good call...and the Spurs' Hairston makes two more to give them a 79-75 edge. Time is running out for the unbeaten Hawks, who miss another and is forced to foul with 47 seconds left. Gist makes two more FTs and Atlanta's going to need a miracle, down 81-75.

Law gets fouled, almost converts, but makes two to make it a four-point deficit with 43 remaining. Atlanta forces a turnover, but then gets called for an offensive foul to give it right back. Unbelievably, the Hawks lull the Spurs into another inbounds miscue and get the ball back with 37 seconds...timeout San Antonio. Law tricky dribbles his way to the basket, the miracle might just happen folks, makes it and the Spurs are left to call another TO when they can't get the ball in again. San Antonio 81-79 with 31 seconds left. CRAZY!!! They throw away in the pass, Hawks ball.

Law sizes up the defense, drives hard, kicks it out to Gardner and...THREEEEEEE! Hawks lead, 82-81 with 20 seconds on the clock...timeout Spurs. San Antonio has a little trouble getting in, they do, and first round pick George Hill (IUPUI) is going to take the last shot. He drives to the basket and is fouled...he makes two and the Spurs are back in front, 83-82, :06.9 left. Atlanta calls timeout. Law gets it, drives to the basket, gets tied up!!! Two seconds left, jump ball in front of the Hawks basket...Hill wins the tap, sends it flying the other way and the Hawks lose a heartbreaker. Rats!!

The Hawks have nothing to be ashamed of today, the effort was tremendous after falling behind early. If we could have gotten a few more jumpers to fall from Richardson (he had five points, on 2-of-11 shooting) and Jackson (finished with seven on 2-of-4 FGs), we'd be looking at a 4-0 record at this point. Three and one is nothing to sneeze at, so we'll take our one-day break and get back at it Thursday when Atlanta and Utah go at it again at 7 p.m. (9 ET). The Hawks close out RMR action Friday against Golden State at 11 a.m. (1 ET).

It's a shame we couldn't get this with Law recording a super game, scoring 27 points oin 33 minutes and four assists. Gardner had 16 and West and Oyedeji each tossed in eight. Tolliver had 21 for the winners, who are also tied with Atlanta at 3-1.

SCORING BY QUARTERS
Hawks ---- 18 - 21 - 13 - 30 ----- 82
Spurs ----- 24 - 17 - 13 - 29 ----- 83

LEADING SCORERS
Hawks -- Law 27, Gardner 16
Spurs --- Tolliver 21, Hairston 17, Morrison 13

LEADING REBOUNDERS
Hawks -- Oyedeji 6
Spurs --- Gist 11

ASSIST LEADERS
Hawks -- Law 4
Spurs --- three with 3

Arthur Triche, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, is out with the Hawks summer league squad at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He'll be posting his thoughts frequently for the Hawks BasketBlog while he's out there to give everyone a glimpse of which Hawks players are doing damage and which free agents are making an impression...

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH --- It's Day Three, and the days be-a-draggin'...but at least we're still unbeaten.

No matter how humdrum it may seem this point, personally, my attitude shifted into another gear this morning when I got news -- if I can l swap sports for a moment -- of the New Orleans Saints consummating the deal to obtain TE Jeremy Shockey from the New York Football Giants. "The "U's" in the Big Easy, peoples!!! Granted it, the Shockmeister's coming off an injury and maybe a bit of hurt feelings from his lack of contributions to the Super Bowl champs last year, but this is a huge acquisition for the Who Dats. If they (Saints) can get anything -- and I mean anything from RBs Deuce McAlister (coming off major knee surgery) and Reggie (where has the burst gone?) Bush, they could make things interesting in the NFC...really interesting.

Can't you tell by now I'm from N'Awlins?? And I won't even get into talking about the defending champion LSU Tigers...can't wait for the Dawgs to head to Death Valley in October...can't wait. That's for our PR intern Jennifer, my friendly arch-enemy when talking SEC football around the office -- at least I can "tolerate" the Georgia loudmouths, those Gators on the other hand -- I've had it up to here!!! (that's for Luke Steele from our video department and Ryann Nursey, one of our talented receptionists -- and you too, big Al Horford, HA!). I had to tell my main man Blog K (that's Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith) that watching ESPN's College Football show prior to coming to the Salt Lake Community Center got me all pumped up.

Alright, enough about the pigskin, let's get back to why we're here. But-t-t-t, I will digress to toss up one other thing. Spoke with Acie Law at shootaround this morning (yes, they even workout like that during summer league) concerning the $155 million weekend epic "the Dark Knight" to get his reviews, and the movie critic not only raved about it -- he went twice yesterday. TWICE!! He took in an afternoon showing with Mario West and went back to catch the late night show. Both times he said the theatre was jam-packed. I've heard from about four friends who have echoed the same thoughts and you can rest assured that I will check that out in the next day-or-two.

Tell you what! This D-League team is nothing short on energy -- they are determined to make sure NBA scouts in attendance take a look at their skills and evaluate them fully. One of these NBA teams will get beat by them, and it better not be today. Right now, they are giving it to our Hawks, but the game is tied at 10, as Othello Hunter (Atlanta's most consistent player after two games) puts it up-and-in. Former DePaul coach Joey Meyer is the sideline boss of the team, heavily West Coast-laden -- with players from UC Santa Barbara, Nevada, Southern California, San Diego and Pepperdine listed on their roster.

Making his first appearance of the RMR is center Olumide Oyedeji, who arrived in town last night and not a moment too soon. The Hawks, despite their unbeaten record, has lacked size and bodies inside -- not for a lack of trying by Assistant GM David Pendergraft -- and his familiarity with Oyedeji (who spent a little time in Seattle with Pendergraft and GM Rick Sund) earned him a spot on the roster. While we expected former Cal forward/center Jamal Sampson last night as well, his absence is a mystery at this point and management isn't expecting him to show up.

Let me get this out of the way right now, as the Hawks lead 16-12 (1:09 left in the first). I know there's been a lot of activity out there today at it relates to forward Josh Childress and the reported offer he may receive from the Greece team Olympiakos. Sund's position is to not engage the free agent process through the media, and I can definitely understand that -- I'm not a media person (or reporter), I'm a team executive unable to tell you the goings-on regarding his situation (Childress') or Josh Smith, because I and the franchise can face stiff fines from the people at Olympic Tower in the Big Apple. We've already received one fine from the league this year (remember the $50K big one for the Miami mess?? -- a tad bit excessive, in my humble opinion), so I'm not going down that road. I work for the Hawks, I don't play...if you get my meaning. But Sund did speak earlier today with Sekou Smith and you should be able to find out what's the latest, currently at www.ajc.com.

I told you the D-Leaguers were tenacious and they currently have a three-point lead as we're underway in the second quarter. They got two straight three-point bombs from Nick Lewis, a 6-10 forward from San Diego, and the crowd is certainly pulling for them. As fans are, they can switch on a dime as Speedy Claxton throws a alley-oop to Hunter to give the Hawks a 25-23 lead...and switch right back when Glen McGowan (from Pepperdine) slams home an Ambassador miss.

In earlier action today, the last two arriving teams -- New Jersey and Golden State -- finally decided to show up. And put a win in the Warriors column, as they posted the first 100+ game of the RMR, beating the Nets 108-84. One of my favorite players from last year's NCAA season -- Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (CDR) tallied six points off the bench. His teammate, first round pick Brook Lopez from Stanford, had 16 points and six rebounds. GState had six players in double figures with former Georgia Tech guard Anthony Morrow tossing in a game-high 23. Warriors' first round pick (and former LSU Tiger...can't help representing the home state) forward Anthony Randolph had 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He didn't shoot the ball well at all though, hitting only two of his 10 FG attempts.

With a win today, the Hawks will be in sole possession of the best record, as previously undefeated San Antonio was knocked off in Monday's first game 84-77, to the Dallas Mavericks. Gerald Green was finally inserted into the starting lineup (Mario Elie must have read my stuff...haha) and continued his torrid scoring, registering 27 points in 33 minutes.

Law has it moving again, as the Hawks jump out to a five-point lead with 3:45 remaining (33-28). Hunter currently has eight points, while Law has five and Jeremy Richardson adds four to the leaders. Atlanta's hitting 52 percent from the field.

Hunter and Richardson enters today's action among the top seven scorers in the RMR, with Hunter second amongst the rebounders at 7.0 rpg. West is fifth with 6.5 rpg, while Claxton leads everyone in assists at 5.5 apg. Atlanta also has the top two FG shooters -- Kevinn Pickney and Hunter -- and Luke Jackson is tied for third.

At the half, the Hawks enjoy a 37-30 lead with plenty of balanced scoring, which has to please the coaching staff, and 11 assists on 16 made field goals. Sharing is good...

Also making an appearance today is former Hawk guard and legend Lou Hudson. He always makes a point of checking out the red-and-white, check that, now the red-white-and-blue birds when we come to Salt Lake City. Hudson's doing pretty good these days after suffering a stroke several years ago. He's still supporting his old team, even wearing the old warmup jacket from the Mookie Blaylock days (boy, looking back on it, those things were u-g-l-y).

Speaking of ugly, Atlanta's West just got blammed on by the D-League's Josh Gross for the first points of the second half. He got him good!!! It woke the Ambassadors up and they went on a 11-3 run to start the third before the Hawks regained the lead on an Law jumper, 41-40. They increase it on Law's FT (converting an illegal defense tech) and Thomas Gardner's (Missouri) triple to go up by five minutes later. The Hawks are on a 10-2 run over the last two minutes. They can seemed to put these guys away though...it's now a three-point game (49-46).

Atlanta's gone cold, hitting only 44% overall, while the D-Leaguers are currently hitting 47.2 percent of their shots. At the half, the Hawks were shooting 47.1 to 42.3 for the opposition. Fortunately, we're still winning, taking a 53-49 lead into the final quarter.

Taking control. The Hawks have streaked to a 10-point lead on a 6-0 burst to start the fourth, and the Ambassadors call timeout.

And the beat goes on...Jackson with a three, a rebound and a nice dish to Hunter who's fouled on the way to the basket. He makes the freebies and it's 62-52 as the Hawks pull away. Things get a little ragged down the stretch, and the D-Leaguers go on a 14-6 run over the final three minutes to put a scare in the Hawks, but Atlanta seals it with a strong drive by Law (who misses the three-point opportunity) and FTs by Jackson and Pinkney, as the Hawks win 74-70...whew!!!

Hunter and Jackson led Atlanta with 13 each, with 10 of Jackson's points coming from the free throw line. Gardner tossed in 11 and Law finished with 10 (3-8 FGs).

Atlanta's first up Tuesday, with a 2:15 matchup against San Antonio (4:15 ET), while Dallas plays Golden State, and New Jersey takes on Utah (the D-League and Iran Olympic teams will have the day off).

CURRENT STANDINGS
Atlanta Hawks 3-0
Golden State Warriors 1-0
Dallas Mavericks 2-1
San Antonio Spurs 2-1
Iran Olympic National Team 0-1 (pending tonight's game against Utah)
New Jersey Nets 0-1
D-League Ambassadors 0-2
Utah Jazz 0-2 (pending tonight's game against Iran)

SCORING BY QUARTERS
Ambassadors ----- 16 - 14 - 19 - 21 --- 70
Hawks --------------- 16 - 21 - 16 - 21 --- 74

LEADING SCORERS
Ambassadors ----- McGowan 17, Gross 12, Elliot 10
Hawks --------------- Hunter 13, Jackson 13, Gardner 11, Law 10

LEADING REBOUNDERS
Ambassadors ---- Brown 6
Hawks -------------- Pinkney 9

ASSIST LEADERS
Ambassadors ---- Elliot 5
Hawks -------------- Claxton 4, Jackson 4, Law 3, Hunter 3

Arthur Triche, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, is out with the Hawks summer league squad at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He'll be posting his thoughts frequently for the Hawks BasketBlog while he's out there to give everyone a glimpse of which Hawks players are doing damage and which free agents are making an impression...

Before we get started with notes from tonight's game, a couple of things to inform you about from the opening night's action -- I spoke with Speedy Claxton as he watched action from the San Antonio vs. D-League Ambassadors contest, and after missing most, if not all of last season, Claxton was happy with his performance (four points, seven assists and two steals in close to 17 minutes of play). "It felt good to get out there and get some serious action," he said, "I was a little rusty, obviously, but otherwise I felt fine. It was great to get things going with that second unit, we played well as a group and I guess you can say it was like riding a bike, you never forget (how to play)."

A few of you asked about TV telecasts from here, and while none of the games will be shown live on NBATV, you can catch the following Hawks games next week -- Friday's game vs. Dallas will be shown Tuesday, July 22 at 3 p.m. (and replayed July 26 at 1 p.m.). Tonight's game will be televised Wednesday, July 23 at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., with Monday's game against the D-League unit available for viewing on Thursday, July 24 at 9 p.m. (and replayed July 27 at 1 a.m.).

Here are the standings after two days:
ATLANTA HAWKS 2-0
San Antonio Spurs 2-0
Dallas Mavericks 1-1
Iran Olympic National Team 0-1
NBA D-League Ambassadors 0-1
Utah Jazz 0-2
Golden State Warriors 0-0
New Jersey Nets 0-0

Utah has an unbelievable number of players participating on their roster -- 17, while San Antonio's close behind with 16. The Jazz also has the tallest group out here, with nine players 6-9 or taller (yikes!!). Maybe Dallas (and my man, "Coach Barker" Mario Elle (check yesterday's blog if you need to be reminded), should look at starting free agent pickup Gerald Green. He's only come off the pine to lead the Mavericks in scoring with 20 and 15 points. I'm just saying...

The Rocky Mountain Revue goes silent for one day on Sunday, resuming action on Monday as the Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets fill out the rest of the squads here. Atlanta will take on the D-League Ambassadors (who gave the Spurs a heck of a battle Saturday before losing 68-65) at 4:30 local (6:30 ET).

Three things to glean from tonight's game, how the Hawks handle the defensive pressure from Utah (in addition to the overwhelming size difference), whether Acie Law can bounce back from his poor shooting game Friday, and will the Hawks be bother from the overbearing Jazz fans -- it doesn't matter if it's the regular season or summer league, these people are loud and proud.

Well, the inside presence is dominating early as Utah jumps out to a 9-4 lead. Atlanta can't make a shot, hitting on 29 percent after one timeout (2-of-7). Jeremy Richardson and Law have missed on their first four attempts (three by J-Rich). By the way, Scott Layden is coaching tonight for Utah, after former Hawk forward Tyrone Corbin had the duties last night. Speaking of Corbin, he was up for one of the available assistant positions on Michael Curry's staff but Jazz management made it real enticing for him to return ($$$) in addition to reportedly making him the heir apparent for Jerry Sloan when the veteran coach hangs up his whistle.

The bookends of Kyrylo Fesenko (Utah's 2nd round pick last year) and Kosta Koufos (the Jazz's top selection this year, both at 7-1) are manhandling Atlanta inside -- on both ends of the floor. The Jazz have capitalized on five offensive rebounds -- and would have had another if a loose ball foul wasn't called on Koufos, the former Ohio State product.

What's wrong with the basketball??? The Hawks guards (Speedy Claxton has now replaced Law) are committing way too many sloppy turnovers.

Checking in for Utah right now is Haminn Quaintance (Kent State), who sports the Revue's most unique hairdo...just think of a mop with braids. Joining him on the floor is massive center Kevin Lyde (Temple), a 6-10, 260-pound of beef who has the ability to set some monster picks. Oh, oh...and I thought we almost lost Speedy there, he avoided it, thank goodness...

While the Jazz have led the entire first quarter, the Hawks have held tough and currently has the ability to cut the lead to one as Frank Robinson (not the former Baltimore Oriole great) heads to the line for two free throws. He makes them both and Utah leads 17-16 with :05.7 left...and that's it for the first ten. Both teams shoot an ugly 33.3 percent from the field. Atlanta gets back into this one on the strength of FTs, making eight-of-10. Othello Hunter's (Ohio State) six is tops among the Hawks bunch, while Koufos duplicates that for the Jazz.

Uh, Luke (Jackson)...not a good idea to drive to the hole with Lyde in the game -- he's not going anywhere. The brickwall wins.

Lyde then Mahorned his way inside for give Utah a five-point margin 21-16, and on the ensuing possession, the Hawks -- ugh -- turn it over again (#6) when Law is called for an offensive foul before attempting to call timeout after crossing halfcourt. Atlanta now has six miscues, and the offensive is now working as smoothly as it did Friday. That's evident when Law makes a super pass inside to Hunter who blows a wide open dunk.

Utah's defense is harrassing the Hawks at every turn. Here's another turnover, a 24-second clock violation...

When the Hawks get a good look, they miss. Utah's now ahead by nine (25-16) with six left before the half. Doggone it, another forced shot with the clock running out and the Jazz's off-and-running. Morris Almond's freebies give them their biggest lead of the night, 27-16.

Oh man, the one thing you don't want to see in summer league action (or any for that matter) are injuries, as Utah's Russell Carter goes down clutching his left leg right in front of the scorer's table. Let's hope he's okay. He heads to the locker room with a bit of a limp.

Atlanta has made only one FG this quarter (in four attempts) and no wonder Richardson is re-inserted into the game. Make that five misses, ruining another chance as Law dishes to Brian Randle (Illinois), who probably should have laid it in instead of trying to dunk over Britton Johnsen (Utah). Beautiful take by Law, who misses by Atlanta gets the basket on the put back by ???? -- 27-20 Utah with three left.

Finally!!!!! The dunk has come back to At-lanta!! (Yeah, I tried, the Rock's done with wrestling and boy, do we miss him!!) Off a steal, Law tosses it up for Richardson for the slam, cutting it to five (27-22). Randle's put-back ends a mess of chances on both sides to narrow it to three...

Another *#%!! offensive foul from the failure to set the correct screen, which gives the Jazz the chance for the last shot. And convert they do as Fesenko rams it home and Utah leads at the half, 31-24.

An ugly first half is obvious when looking at the stat sheet...Atlanta has only made eight of 27 attempts for 30%, missing all four three-pointers. Hunter leads the Hawks effort with eight, with Richardson scoring five. Jackson, who had 20 Friday, better get going soon. He's only taken two shots (missing both threes) in seven minutes. The Jazz has a 12-5 lead in bench points.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that former Hawks coach Lon Kruger's son, Kevin, is a member of Utah's summer roster. Easy to have forgotten him since he hasn't gotten any burn tonight...

"Can I get a call???!!" The look on Law's face is evident as he drives to the basket for the first Hawk points of the second half. 33-26 Utah. Atlanta's still not in sync, as Law forces on but gets bailed out by the refs. His free throws makes it 35-28. Uh, maybe they've made him mad. Law drives by Koufos and is fouled...he converts the three-point play and the Hawks trail by four with 7:26 in the third.

And here come the Jazz Dancers...and there they go.

The crowd comes to life as Fesenko slams off the nice give-and-go, but the big 'un hangs onto the rim too long and ends up right on his keester...he's alright, but has to laugh at that himself as he runs up the floor.

Law pumps in another jumper -- his best stretch of the RMR, and the Hawks trail 37-33. Atlanta misses a chance to cut it to two as Mario West misses a layup and Hunter fails on the follow. West doesn't blow it again, converting a three-point play to make itone, 37-36 Utah. Here comes the Hawks!!!

YEAH, Acie! His strong move to the rim is good and Atlanta takes the lead...38-37. Now the Hawks have turned up the pressure and Utah isn't handling it well. The Jazz fail to score on one end and Jackson converts on a three-point play to give the Hawks their biggest lead of the night, 43-38. Yep, the Jazz are hitting all the wrong notes right now...

I don't know what Larry Drew said at halftime, but the intensity has totally switched teams. Atlanta has connected on five of their first 10 FG attempts in the third -- make that six-of-11 as Law's in a groove now, hitting another from 17-feet. The Hawks have outscored Utah 22-7 to start this quarter. Law's confidence is showing, running the offense to perfection. He has 11 points and one assist in the period. Everybody's knocking 'em down with Hunter giving the visitors an 11-point edge as the quarter nears its conclusion. Atlanta holds the Jazz to only nine point and takes a 51-40 lead into the final ten.

As far as my points earlier (AT's 3s"), the Hawks have done a good job of handling Utah's pressure after struggling early on (the big guys are no factor now), Law has had a breakout game, and the natives are getting restless. The fans are getting a little upset with the home team.

Utah responds with a three and a follow dunk by Johnsen and now the crowd's back into it. Drew signals for a timeout and Atlanta wants to talk it over, leading 54-47 with 7:17 on the clock.

Almond keeps it moving for the Jazz, drilling a left side jumper, but Kevinn Pinkney answers with a three-pointer in front the Hawks bench to make it 56-49 Atlanta. Should be an interesting final six minutes...

Hawks nail another three (Hunter), then it's Richardson off the Utah turnover and it's back up to ten, 61-51 with less than four. Hahaha! Another Utah turnover, now make them pay Atlanta. AND THEY DO!! West with a three, Hawks by 13 (64-51) at the 3:24 mark...timeout Jazz.

The teams trade baskets, but it's getting late for Utah. Law to Hunter yet again, the bucket makes it 68-58. Koufos with a follow, cuts it to eight, but Hunter slams the Law miss and the Hawks have this one in control.

Atlanta joins San Antonio as the early unbeatens, both with 2-0 records heading into Sunday's off-day. Final score, Hawks 72-63, as West emphatically rocks the baby to sleep.

My, how the shooting percentage changed after two quarters. Atlanta ended up by hitting 43.1% from the field and held the Jazz to 34.3 percent. The home team held a 37-29 rebounding edge, and outscored Atlanta 25-9 on second chance points, but amazingly, the Hawks had a 28-26 advantage on points in the paint.

Arthur Triche, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, is out with the Hawks summer league squad at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He'll be posting his thoughts frequently for the Hawks BasketBlog while he's out there to give everyone a glimpse of which Hawks players are doing damage and which free agents are making an impression...

Summer league action...where fouls-a-plenty happens. The Mad VP here chipping in and blogging for my man Micah from Mormon country.

Before the Hawks begin their 2008 summer league session of games in Utah, on behalf of the Hawks organization, let me send our most sincere condolences to the family of guard Brian Chase. Chase, one of the team's quickest players and formerly of Virginia Tech, receiving devastating news upon his arrival to SLC when he learned his brother passed away.

In addition to the loss of Chase, Atlanta was without the services of several frontline players as forward Wayne Simien suffered a hamstring strain during Wednesday's afternoon practice, rendering him unavailable for the remainder of the camp and five-year pro Jamal Sampson (California), who had to make an unscheduled trip home, who would not return until Sunday. The Hawks will also gain another body over the weekend when three-year vet Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria) joins the squad.

Summer league coach Larry Drew fielded the following starters for game one -- Acie Law IV and Jeremy Richardson at guard, Mario West and Othello Hunter (Ohio State) at forward and Kevinn Pinkney (Nevada) at center.

It didn't take long for Speedy Claxton to enter the action, after Law picked up two quick fouls after the first five minutes...Richardson kept the Hawks in front early by knocking down three straight jumpers from various spots on the floor.

Claxton's layup made it 21-15 with two left in the quarter. On his next time up the floor, he made a sweet dish inside to Pinkney, upping the lead to eight. His quick hands with seconds remaining led to a Hawks bucket at the buzzer as Atlanta took a 28-21 lead to the second period.

By the way, speaking of those fouls -- Atlanta had nine after one, Dallas...none. In summer league play that's impossible.

The Hawks sizzled in that opening stanza, shooting 68.4 percent on 13-of-19 FGs, with Richardson leading the way with 10 points. Luke Jackson (Oregon) came of the bench to knock down two three-pointers for six. Atlanta limited Dallas to 42% from the field.

Claxton continued slicing his way through the Mavericks defenders, scoring on another layup to start the second.

There goes the refs again, another Hawks foul...yet Dallas coach Mario Elie yells from the bench "call it both ways!!" Are you kidding me???

They called it alright. Dallas finally picks up their first one, and another on a Hawk FT. I'm getting sick of Elie already, he's barking at the refs (one NBA veteran and two female refs) like he did during his playing days...Hawks by 10, 35-25.

Elie might want to start yelling at his players as the Hawks keep up the defensive pressure, diving for loose balls, creating turnovers and converting on the other end. The lead's now 14 (39-25) as Dallas calls timeout.

Dallas has a few faces familiar to college fans -- Gonzaga sharpshooter Richie Frahm and Vanderbilt gunner Shan Foster. It doesn't matter to the Hawks though as Law splits the defenders for another easy layup and Richardson fed Pinkney on the game's sweetest (at this point) alley-oop, drawing a bunch of ooohs and ahhhs from the crowd. Hawks maintain that 14-point margin...

Law picks up his third, prompting Drew to reinsert Claxton, causing Law to say to his coach, "we don't foul out in summer league". Maybe not, but it's time for him to grab some bench.

West and Claxton are aggravating the heck out of the Mavs backcourt, grabbing another steal and making themselves complete pests out there.

Claxton works the clock, makes another smart pass to Richardson who nails a three to give Atlanta a 51-38 lead at intermission. Claxton finished the half with four points, four assists and two steals, and Richardson led all scorers with 15.

Okay, tell me why there was a need to change officials to start the second half?? The two women officials were replaced by two guys, who promptly got an earful from Elie...the more they change -- you know the rest.

Atlanta comes out a little complacent to start the third and quickly Dallas is making this interesting, getting it under 10 for the first time since early in the game, 55-46. Drew calls a timeout and wants the Hawks to get into their offensive, which shot 68.8% in the first twenty minutes. Hunter goes strong to the hole and makes his third bucket on the night, and Mario "Kid Greasy" West dunks another to get Atlanta back on track.

Here we go with the fouls again...bring back the female officials!!

Richardson and Jackson play pitch-and-catch, leading to another triple by LJ to keep Atlanta up by 13, 66-53. Later, it's Claxton-to-Jackson-to-Brian Randle, and while it's not your 6-4-3 DP, it's another dunk in the paint for the Hawks.

Atlanta better start guarding Gerald Green, who's starting to heat up, cutting that lead to four with less than two remaining in the third. Randle converts again to make it 70-64 Hawks, but there's Green again to keep things interesting. While it gets sloppy down the stretch, Atlanta takes a 72-66 lead into the last ten to play. Green finished the period with 14 points.

Well, the first technical of the Rocky Mountain Revue comes with 8:27 remaining, and amazingly it's not Elie...Dallas forward James Singleton got nailed throwing 'dem bows and Jackson goes to the FT line. The run continues as Richardson knocks down another jumper. Atlanta forces another timeout moments later when Jackson pumps in another long-range three to jack that lead up to 12 again, 82-70, with five-and-half left.

Oh my goodness!! Green has to finally taste a little Spalding as Hunter puts one right back in his mug and the crowd deservedly gives him the business. He's not bashful however, knocking down another jumper with the shot clock running down to make it interesting once again, as the Mavs cut it to six (82-74) with a little more than three left. The opportunistic Randle gets an easy one to make it ten again, and consecutive baskets by Law and Jackson puts this one in the win column for Atlanta, an impressive 89-74 victory.

SCORE BY PERIODS
Mavericks ----- 21 17 28 8 ------- 74
HAWKS ------- 28 23 21 17 ----- 89

LEADING SCORERS
Atlanta -- Richardson 21, Jackson 20, Hunter 11, Pinkney 11
Dallas --- Green 20, Foster 11

LEADING REBOUNDERS
Atlanta (30) -- Hunter 6
Dallas (27) -- Terry 7

ASSIST LEADERS
Atlanta (23) -- Claxton 7
Dallas (13) -- Rhodes 3, Miles 3

FG%
Atlanta -- 60.3 (38-63)
Dallas -- 40.9 (27-66)

Well the day of the Fabulous Finalists Mixer has finally arrived! I woke up this morning very anxious to leave work, get dolled up, and head to the mixer. Work seemed to go by slower than ever with the anticipation of our "all white" party. When the time finally came, I rushed home to get ready in order to make it to Atlantic Station a little early to meet up with some of the other veterans for a quick dinner at Strip. As we sat and chatted about auditions and the night that was soon to begin, we approached the issue of separation. What if one of us doesn't make it back? How will we handle it? What will be our next step or substitution of the countless hours that we spend together at practice and games every week? For now we just have to do what we can to avoid that happening, and that includes giving it our all at the mixer!

A few minutes before 8pm we walked across the street in our abundance of white to Ten Pin Alley to mix, mingle, and show Hawks fans why we deserve to be on the court for another season! Everyone looked absolutely gorgeous tonight, and I know that picking this team is going to be a tough decision. We spent a little time socializing with all of the finalists before being split up into three groups to go out and mingle in. We also were paired with another girl within our group to walk around with. When it was our group's turn to go out, we lined up for a quick introduction to the crowd. Then it was time to go out, speak to the fans, and hand out ballots to vote for your favorite three dancers. Our socializing time was cut short as we were asked to line back up for what I like to call, our "Miss America questions", which would be picked at random from a list that was read off to us at 90 mph right before we left with our group. We stepped up to the microphone one at a time to answer one of these random questions from Chad, the host for the night.

As everyone stood in a line and waited to be called up for their question, we couldn't help but wonder what question we would be asked and if it would be something that we could answer off the top of our heads. This was the only part of the entire night that I was not looking forward to, but I pushed myself not to let that show as I waited to be called. Something or someone higher up (I like to think it was God) was definitely on my side tonight. As we lined up to be called for our one shot at speaking in front of this crowd, Lindsay, a rookie finalist expressed her concern to me about getting the question "If you could do anything and get away with it what would you do, and why?" I thought about it for a second and agreed that it would be a totally unfair question because you are going to look bad no matter what you say. I jokingly said that because I was so exhausted this week, I would probably just sleep in and not go to work...If she had not said this to me I don't know if I would have been able to get through my question because somehow that is the exact question that was thrown at me! Thank you Lindsay!

After my group's questioning was complete we headed back to the room where the remainder of the finalists waited to go out for their turn. The hard part was over for me and it was time to rest my feet and take some pictures. The other two groups mingled, answered their questions, and then the night quickly came to an end. This year's mixer was definitely less stressful than my first year going through it and I was able to enjoy talking to the fans and meeting new people. This week has gone by a lot faster than I expected and it is almost time for the final audition! A little more choreography to learn and then Saturday will be here before I know it! Hope to see you at STATS on Saturday!

Today was the third day of finals week and I have to admit that the soreness from the intensity of this week's events is finally catching up to me. I woke up this morning fighting to get out of bed because of the minimal amount of sleep I am operating on. I was a bit relieved knowing that we would get a little physical rest after fitness evaluations and boot camp as tonight's event was the Rules and Regulations Meeting and uniform try-on.

We all arrived at the Atlanta Spirit office building, Centennial Tower, around 6:15 and were led upstairs to the All-Star Conference Room. Everyone was dressed very professional, which was a nice change from last night's sweat and grime after Boot Camp. At 6:30 it was time for the meeting to begin and everyone was introduced to Kenan Woods from the Public Relations department of Atlanta Spirit. He emphasized the importance of a good interview, and also taught us the "Do's and Don'ts" in various media outlets. Everything that Kenan spoke about is very important because a lot of the girls haven't been exposed to the media in this way and they don't want to make a costly mistake. I know that I learned a lot last year from this meeting and I think that I would have been scared to talk to the media without the advice and support that we received.

After a couple of questions and a great practice interview between Kenan and a finalist, we had a very special speaker. CJ from 95.5 The Beat came to give us some advice and real life examples on radio interviews. Having her in the meeting was a great opportunity to learn a lot because she definitely tells it like it is! She gave some great advice, from being knowledgeable about what you're there to talk about, to being presentable in the studio- she held nothing back. Throughout the season we actually do have multiple radio interviews and appearances, so her expertise and credibility in this particular area was not only helpful to first-time finalists, but to the veterans as well. If nothing else, everyone should feel more comfortable tackling a radio interview after tonight.

After thanking Kenan and CJ, it was time to go over all the rules and regulations that every team member must abide by if selected. Rules appear to be getting a little more strict this season in comparison to last year, but I think that could be a good thing. In the past we only addressed our body fat and nutritional standards at the beginning and end of the season, but we will now be doing this once a month. I think this will be helpful to keep us on task throughout the season when we are all bombarded with so many things that we often forget about eating right.

After going through some questions about the rules of the team it was POP QUIZ time! As A-Town Dancers it is important that we are knowledgeable about the team, its history, and its management. Donni randomly called on each finalist to introduce themselves to the group and then answer a Hawks trivia question. I remember auditioning for the first time last year and being so nervous about when this trivia was going to happen. I tried my hardest to memorize as much as I could from the website, but a lot of the trivia knowledge comes naturally after being around it day after day. So everyone learned a lot from this and I don't think that you will ever forget the answer to a question that you got wrong!

The meeting began to wind down after some additional questions and we took turns trying on a dance team uniform for a picture. Uniform try-on is useful to the judges because they are able to see what we would look like on game day, and if we would fit the image that they are trying to fill or the team that they are trying to create. Because we were taking turns and waiting on uniforms, we were able to relax, catch up with our friends, and get to know some new faces. This was a good chance to calm some fears of rookies auditioning and also give some advice for the days to come. As one of only two returning rookies, I know from experience that the fear of the unknown during auditions can be very nerve-racking, so I was glad to share my experiences from last year. As we left the meeting, everyone seemed to be both excited and nervous about getting glammed up and socializing at the Fabulous Finalist Mixer tomorrow night. See you at Ten Pin Alley tomorrow night!

The second and last day of scrimmaging was yesterday afternoon at Philips, and unfortunately, the big story of the day was injuries. Wayne Simien pulled up lame with a hamstring injury, and apparently it was severe enough that he will have to miss the RMR. Jeremy Richardson also went down during one of the scrimmages, limping off with what appeared to be an ankle tweak, but he will still make the trip to Salt Lake City, and I'm told should be good to go by Monday.

Obviously the injury to Simien was disappointing (to me anyway, I still believe that guy has the talent to be an NBA player, but health is clearly a concern for him), but nevertheless there were some other bright spots to note.

Randolph Morris showed some excellent touch around the basket, hitting several short jumpers during scrimmage time. I think Morris is a pretty skilled offensive center - I believe the knock on him has always been defense and determination. No doubt the Hawks could use his kind of low-post presence on the offensive end though, so it will be interesting to see if his work the past few days will convince the team to give him an offer. He and Kwame Brown have been both been working out, and I'll admit I'd be quite happy to give either (both?) a chance at a roster spot if the price is right.

Another guy who impressed me yesterday was Brian Chase, a PG out of Virginia Tech. Chase is one of those guys whose been hanging around the fringes of the NBA scene for several years now (he's almost 27), a bulldog of a player who makes the roster players look bad if they slack off because of his hustle and determination. Chase stands only about 5'10", but gets where he wants on the court and gave Speedy Claxton all he could handle during the games yesterday.

I got a chance to talk to him after practice, and was impressed by his understanding of his place. He has been through this for the last several years, joining teams for summer league and training camp in the hopes of landing a coveted roster spot (which he did grab once, spending the first seven games of the 2006-07 season on the Utah Jazz roster without seeing any game action). He knows exactly what coaches are looking for out there, and I think he demonstrated a lot of great skills in leading his team in scrimmage. He was very controlled, running the offense and barking out instructions to his teammates if they were in the wrong spots (which happens pretty often given how little time these guys have to learn the sets).

Atlanta's roster is pretty crowded in the backcourt (especially if Speedy returns to active duty), but I would love to see this guy get another chance somewhere else if not here.

Speaking of the Hawks backcourt, I also spoke to Acie Law after practice to get his thoughts on his second season of summer league action and on stepping up as the team's leader. I asked him which players were impressing him in camp, but of course he wasn't going to call anyone out (in hindsight, maybe I should have grabbed him before he hit the locker room where everyone else could hear what he was saying). He seems very confident, and I anticipate great things from him at the RMR.

The Hawks made their final cuts after the practice was over (click here to see the final roster), and will head to Utah later this afternoon after a final practice this morning.

We won't be with the team in Salt Lake City, but hope to have good reports from people on the scene nonetheless.

Tuesday, July 15 was by far been the hardest day of finals week so far. It was BOOT CAMP time! I had absolutely no idea what to expect because I had never done a boot camp before, but let me tell you, I would never have been able to imagine it could ever be as hard as it was. This was literally the longest most intense 3 hours of my life. I definitely had no clue what a real workout was until I went through it!

I could tell everyone around me was a little nervous because none of us knew what was coming…Words cant even begin to describe what boot camp felt like, but if I were to sum up the first hour I would say WOW, OH MY GOD! We started off with some light jogging in place, jumping jacks, and before I knew it, it just became harder and harder and harder. It was non-stop moving for an hour straight and it felt like it was never-ending. Starting off wasn’t so bad, but as it built up my heart started pounding and I was breathing very heavy. I had no idea I was capable of sweating that much! It was probably about 20 minutes into it that all the girls started to really feel it. I had to put myself in a zone and literally talk to myself to get through it and to keep pushing. For the entire hour all of us were cheering each other on to keep going. All I could hear was, “Come on girls, you can do it…Keep pushing…Keep breathing…We can do this!!”, and it was that support that kept us all going. It was almost like we all became one, because if one girl slowed down, or put her leg down, or someone’s arms gave out, or someone’s legs weren’t high enough, the trainers would make us go longer. It really made us come together as a team.

As it came close to the end of the hour, all I could feel were my legs burning, my heart racing, and my arms pulsing. I had never felt like this before. The intensity of the first hour of boot camp was overpowering. I had no idea my body could reach the point of agony that it did. As the trainers started to count down, I realized that I made it through till the end, the very last second! I couldn’t believe it! I think it was definitely the support from everyone cheering each other on, and literally pushing myself to the limit and giving it everything that I had down to the very last bit. Once we finished I can honestly say that my legs felt like jello and I couldn’t feel them. I was struggling to walk for a few minutes after we were done. Now I understand when people say that it is mind over matter…That hour definitely tops the charts as the most difficult, most intense and rigorous hour I have ever been through. I just couldn’t believe I got through it, but I did it and so did all the other girls. I was so proud of everyone!!

The last 2 hours of boot camp consisted of dancing. We had a guest choreographer come in to teach a master class. This class was awesome! I have never seen a guy move the way he did…He was incredible! His style was true hip-hop. The choreography that we learned was a slower version of hip-hop, which made you really have to feel the music. I loved the choreography and the few times that he did it by himself as we watched, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. It was an amazing master class with some hard-core deep and emotional hip-hop. I felt so lucky to have been able to take a class by such a talented dancer.

By the time the last hour rolled around, I was truly fighting for energy. Star, a choreographer and past Hawks Dancer, taught us a short routine for the sidelines that we will have to perform on Saturday for finals. I LOVED the choreography! Although it was short and only about 4 counts of 8, it was still fast. At this point my energy was running on empty, but I didn’t give up and kept pushing. The only thing I kept repeating to myself over and over in my head was how badly I want this! I was not going to give up, and until the very last minute I gave it everything that I had.

Boot Camp was finally over. Those 3 hours felt like eternity but I did it - we all did it! I had absolutely no feeling in my body, but I was so proud of everyone for making it through until the end. The positive energy was great and we got through it together, as a team. I really proved to myself that I could push myself to the limit even while running on empty. It was a true test for me and it is pretty awesome to be able to say that I made it and really gave it everything I had even though I could barely feel my body at the end. We made it through boot camp…WE DID IT TOGETHER!

Day 1 of finals week began with a fitness evaluation.  The finalist signed up for a 4pm, 530pm or 7pm session at the Ice Forum in Duluth, GA.  I was in the 7pm group.
 
Fitness evaluation day was designed to establish the physical fitness level of the finalists.  Led by Atlanta Thrashers’ trainer Ray Bear, we participated in a challenging but doable fitness evaluation.
 
During our warm up, we use a ladder painted on the floor to get our heart rate up.  Ray Bear had us perform various drills targeting our coordination and agility.  I know… a ladder painted on the ground does not seem like a big deal, but that was the most intimidating ladder I have ever seen!  At any given moment there were people (myself included) trying not to fall off the ladder, struggling to stay in the lines and even tripping on the lines which, once again, were PAINTED ON THE FLOOR!  Who said dancers were coordinated?!?!
 
After making it through the terrifying warm up we began the evaluation.  Ray Bear divided our group in half; and each group had a series of three exercises to complete in four minutes.  My group started with a core challenging exercise, pull ups and running as fast as we could on a treadmill with a 12% incline.  Each exercise had multiple repetitions and forced us to push through the shaking and the burn.
 
Are you asking yourself,  “How did they run as fast as they could on a set treadmill?”  Let me tell you.  We all learned on that day that treadmills do not have to be plugged in to work you out.  The equipment was preset on a 12% incline and then turned off.  We had to make the treadmill go with our own power…no help from electricity. Although we only did this for 5 seconds with a 25 second break (5 times) we all agreed that 5 seconds never seemed so long!
 
The second set of exercises started with quick feet on a step about 1.5” off the ground, one minute of push ups and lunges with a knee lift on a Bosu ball.  Again each of these exercises had several repetitions and challenged our cardio, strength and core stability.
 
When it was all over, we were all still standing and smiling!  No one got sick or fell out and Ray Bear expressed that he was impressed with each person’s fight and determination. 
 
Congratulations to all the finalist on a great fitness evaluation!  It was a great start to an intense uphill week.  Stay tuned for the boot camp and dance class update…that is if I can move my arms to write after it is over….
 

Summer camp practice is underway, with the Hawks (and prospective Hawks) hitting the court in the morning and afternoon for drills and scrimmaging. I was there for the scrimmage portion, and I'm happy to report there were several good things worth mentioning.

- Acie Law is the unquestioned leader of this team. Now that may not mean much (most of these guys will never see a regular season NBA roster), but for someone being groomed as the point guard of the future for this organization, I like to see him asserting himself. The biggest illustration of this came after the first game (the players were divided into three squads). Law's team won, and Coach Woodson declared that losers would stay on (presumably, getting the win offered a reward of getting some rest). Law disagreed, and Woody asked him what he wanted to do, and without hesitation Law decreed that his team should keep playing. Coach acquiesced, and Law's team remained on the court for another game and, as it turned out, another win.

- Speedy Claxton is on his way back. I won't get too excited until I see him do it over a longer stretch of time, but Speedy looked fit yesterday during the scrimmage. He played some harassing defense and got to the hole several times with quick moves (including a sweet behind-the-back dribble at full speed). He spoke with the media after practice and seemed confident that he was good to go and 100% healthy. Given his history it's easy to be skeptical, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

- Thomas Gardner has range. Of all the invitees on the court, Gardner probably stood out the most in scrimmage. He drained several long 3-pointers and looked very comfortable despite the chaos that can be summer league workouts. I don't remember Gardner too much from his time in college at Missouri, but I'll certainly be paying attention to him the rest of camp.

- Mario West was his normal, pestering self (in a good way). He was aggressive defensively as always, but was aggressive offensively as well. He took it strong to the hole a few times, finishing with impressive layups in traffic.

- Al Horford worked out but didn't scrimmage. He won't be making the trip to Salt Lake City, but for good reason - he'll be heading to Las Vegas to scrimmage against the US National team. We've touched on this before, but it's very exciting to see him getting this kind of exposure and opportunity. I always felt like Joe Johnson made his leap to NBA All-Star after the confidence he gained from his National Team stint in 2006, and hopefully Horford will experience the same surge. He spoke afterwards about the experience.

Other notes: Wayne Simien didn't make too much of an impact in scrimmage, but he also didn't get the ball much either. He did get it in the low post once, and strung together an impressive series of moves to free himself for a nice turnaround jumper. I hope to see him get some more touches as practice and summer league continue...Luke Jackson didn't get many cracks either, but looked solid nonetheless. He moved well without the ball, a skill that would definitely be a benefit to a Hawks team that could certainly be accused of standing around too much at times last season...Randolph Morris was on the court as well despite not technically being on the Hawks' summer roster. He is a player with some Atlanta ties (he went to Landmark Christian and played on the same AAU team as Josh Smith and Dwight Howard). Morris obviously has the size the Hawks need, so it bears watching what happens to him this summer. To my knowledge he is a free agent, but there was some discussion yesterday that he might still be Knicks property.

Post-practice Interviews:
Speedy Claxton
Mike Woodson
Acie Law
Al Horford

After the jump, check out some photos from the first day of camp:

If that is indeed the case, then all of the teams that have at one time or another had significant cap space to take a run at Smith have used their money elsewhere except for Memphis, which to this point has shown no interest in pursuing him. I suppose that could change, but for now it looks as if the Hawks are in the driver's seat to retain his services for the foreseeable future...

We've announced the summer league roster, and over the next few days the members of the Hawks squad will be practicing at Philips Arena in preparation for the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City.

Not to play any favorites here (actually, I can probably play all the favorites I want - I doubt what I say on this blog will affect the future NBA careers of any of the players on the summer camp roster), but there are a few players I am interested to watch more than others. Here are a few of them:

Luke Jackson - Luke was a lottery pick for Cleveland out of Oregon, where he had a very impressive college career. He has never really found his niche in the League, but he wasn't a lottery pick by accident. The Hawks could use some more perimeter scorers, and I wonder if Luke could perhaps find a spot for himself by having a great summer.

Wayne Simien - I admit some bias on this guy, as I watched him dominate my Texas Longhorns throughout his college career at Kansas. As an outsider, I always felt like he was always caught in a number crunch in Miami with Shaq, Zo, and Udonis Haslem, but it's possible he just doesn't have the game for the NBA. Still, I remember his college days, and I feel like he could be a steal.

Speedy Claxton - Obviously, everyone is curious to see if Speedy can get himself back in the game after injuries derailed most of his tenure here in Atlanta. It's rare you see a veteran of his stature playing in summer league games, but if you are trying to make your way back from several knee injuries, this is as good a place to start as any.

Acie Law - Sekou had a pretty good piece on the second-year guard in the AJC, about how he is approaching his sophomore season. Most rookie point guards struggle in their first NBA go-round, and I fully expect Acie to put last year behind him and use this summer as the launching pad to a much more productive season in 2008-09.

I'll have much more to come as the team practices and scrimmages over the next few days, so stay tuned.

As part of our coverage of A-Town Dancers Finals, we've asked veteran A-Town Dancer Vera to blog her thoughts and impressions throughout the week as she and the rest of the finalists attempt to make the 2008-09 A-Town Dancers squad. Don't forget to come to Stats on Saturday, July 19, to check out the finals competition and see the naming of the new team!

It is that time of year again! After an awesome regular season and an amazingly electric postseason, the A-Town Dancers are looking for a new team for the 2008-09 season to support the Hawks for another spectacular year!

As preliminary auditions began on Sunday, July 13, I was very excited about the women who were coming in to register for the process. At first glance, the judges had a group of beautiful and versatile women to select from for the finalists for this year’s audition. When Casey, a choreographer and former Atlanta Hawks Dancer, began the warm up and taught the first half of the audition dance, it became obvious that my suspicions were correct!

After a few counts of eight were taught, the first cut of the preliminary audition process began. It was very interesting to say the least! Some people were obviously breaking in their FIRST PAIR OF DANCING SHOES while others displayed experience and finesse in the field of dance. But we know, this is what it’s all about!

The first cut left just over 60 dancers to fend for their spot as a finalist for the 2008-09 A-Town Dancer Audition. Casey taught a few more counts of eight and the second cut was set to begin. During this cut I was responsible for getting the candidates in order and ready to go into their audition three at a time. This meant I would not get to see any of them dance but I would get to experience their nerves!

The holding area was mainly the downstairs space at Peachtree Center Athletic Club. Some dancers chose to practice until their number was called while others talked and laughed in an attempt to calm their anxiety. There were still other dancers who sat quietly in anticipation. Overall, each group seemed to come back from their audition feeling good about their performance but most importantly, thrilled that it was over!

Once all the groups had performed for the judges it was time to tally the scores. Most of those auditioning agreed that time seemed to move so slowly as they went over the audition in their mind: How did I miss that step? I hit that turn so well! How intense will finals week be?

Finally Donni, the Talent Coordinator for Atlanta Hawks, gathered all the candidates and announced the audition numbers of the finalists. Initially no one moved after the numbers were read. Then, as those who did not make the cut realized their time with this year audition was over, they began to get up, gather their things, hug friends and leave. These dancers probably spent much of the evening asking themselves if they would return to audition again, and how can they improve? Let me say to you come back and audition again; you have already accomplished what many could not!

To the finalist selected yesterday for this year’s audition….congratulations! And watch out! The veterans are now a part of the finalist group. We are being judged just like you and we love being A-Town Dancers! Yes, ask us questions, we will give you the best information, and if we see a way to help you we will offer it but we want our spots back! We will be fighting hard and giving it our best. After all who wouldn’t want to dance for the Atlanta Hawks and “Put on for the city!”
 

This is obviously huge news for Hawks fans, as Philly was the alleged leading contender for Josh Smith's services. If Brand does indeed sign with the Sixers, the worry is far from over for Atlanta. Golden State still has a ton of cash to spend, and now the Clippers too have cap space and a fairly large hole at the forward position.

Who knows how all this will end, but hopefully what happened tonight will help us out in our quest to keep both Joshes right here in Atlanta.

UPDATE: It looks like Corey Maggette is signing with Golden State for five years, 50 million. That takes up a sizeable portion of the Warriors cap space, which means for Josh Smith, at least as of right now, it's either Atlanta or the LA Clippers.

Maggette-to-Golden State = another move that favors the Hawks.

Things are still quiet on the home front, but with the NBA releasing the official cap numbers for next season today, I expect the noise to increase shortly.

First, a word on the Joshes. There is still nothing new on Josh Childress, but in an interesting development, it appears the Sixers may be in the running for Elton Brand. If that is indeed the case (you never know when "sources" report these things), it would certainly affect Philly's pursuit of J-Smoove. I don't lend too much credence to this rumor, mostly because I don't see Brand leaving LA (where he has a burgeoning career as a movie producer), but the allure of playing in the weaker Eastern Conference could be just the carrot to draw him away.

In other news, Sekou Smith got a bead on the Hawks summer camp roster yesterday. Here is the roster he is reporting:

G - Acie Law IV
G - Speedy Claxton
G - Dominique Kirk
G - Brian Chase
G - Jeremy Richardson
G - Demetric Bennett
G - Thomas Gardner
G/F - Mario West
G/F - Luke Jackson
F - Brian Randle
F - Kevin Pinckney
F - Marcus Hubbard
F - Othella Hunter
F - Brian Butch
C - Solomon Jones
C - Jamal Sampson
C - Olumide Oyedeji

First things first - the word on the street is that Brian Butch is no longer in the Hawks summer league plans, as rumor has it he has latched on with Memphis in the Las Vegas summer league.

Obviously, the big bombshell is the presence of Speedy Claxton, who missed most of last season after knee surgery. Having him on board certainly adds a bit of intrigue to what might have otherwise been a lackluster summer league team. Hopefully he will be healthy enough to play and give the Hawks an idea of whether he is capable of playing this upcoming season.

One name not on Sekou's list is that of Al Horford. If that is indeed the case, it makes me happy. Horford was a beast last year, and his play earned him the right to rest - almost like a high-schooler getting enough AP credits to place out of a subject in college.

A couple other notes:

- Another former member of Mike Woodson's staff has found employment elsewhere, as Herb Brown joins his brother Larry's staff in Charlotte. Herb was always an incredibly nice guy to work with, and much like David Fizdale his presence around the team will be missed. Good luck Herb!

- Remember last week when I was complaining about Joe Johnson getting the Olympic snub in favor of Michael Redd? Well, I still don't like it, but I suppose there is some solace in the news that he has been named as one of five alternates for the team. I don't expect to see him in Beijing, but (sniff) it's nice to know they (sniff) still care.

More news when it comes...

Josh Smith made his visit to Philadelphia last week, but as of this writing the 76ers have yet to make him an offer (or they have, and he just hasn't accepted it).

It is rumored Josh Childress is going to visit there (perhaps today) as well, and it could get interesting if the Hawks and Sixers get involved in a little cat-and-mouse game (you signed Childress? Fine, we'll sign Louis Williams).

One other team to watch for in the pursuit of the two Joshes is Golden State, who minus Baron Davis now are flush with cash and cap space. We haven't heard much speculation of any interest there, but in this climate it's not hard to see where they may make a run at one or the other.

Contracts can be signed starting Wednesday (July 9), so expect to see lots of league-wide news in the next few days.

In the meantime, keep the spirited discussion going in the comments!

NBA free agency opened at 12:01 am ET Tuesday, and two big surprises hit the league right before it started. Elton Brand and Baron Davis, both scheduled to make huge amounts of money next year (16.4 million for Brand, 17.8 for Boom Dizzle), each opted out of their deals to become free agents. It's rare to see players give up so much guaranteed money, and I'll be curious to see how this plays out for both of them. Brand has stated his goal is to remain with the Clippers, while Davis' future seems a bit cloudier, especially if the rumor is true that the Warriors have offered a max deal to Wizards G Gilbert Arenas($).

Needless to say, what might have otherwise been a mild offseason for free agency suddenly promises a lot more intrigue.

How will any of this affect the Hawks? We'll have to wait and see. GM Rick Sund has said all along his top priority is to bring restricted FA's Josh Smith and Josh Childress back into the fold, and until something else happens there's no reason to think that isn't the case. For fans worried about other teams (the hot rumor is the 76ers) making a run at Smith, it will be interesting to see how much Brand's availability affects the market for him.

No deals can be made official until July 9, but teams are free to talk to players as of this morning. We'll follow it all from here, so make sure to check back with the BasketBlog as everything gets rolling.

What do you think the Hawks should do? Are there other players you'd like to see the team target aside from the Joshes?

Let us know in the comments.