I was at a wedding in California over the weekend. Normally I hate the time change going from ET to PT because it always messes with my body clock (especially when it's only for a short period of time), but in this particular case it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the gold medal game between USA and Spain started at 11:30 pm local time, allowing me to watch it without too much difficulty.

It was an amazing game - redemption for the US team, and if you ask me, validation for Spain as well, which took Team USA's best shots and still made it a game to the end.

Henry Abbott over at TrueHoop spent some time today playing prognosticator, thinking about what the US team might look like in 2012.

In what is no surprise to me or the rest of the Hawks fans who saw him play night-in and night-out last season, Abbott names Al Horford to his 12-man roster for the World Championships in 2010 and Summer Olympics of 2012.

Horford will have to settle his passport issues (he's originally from Dominican Republic but has lived stateside for a long time, so obtaining citizenship should be mere formality), but given the way his career has started, I'd actually be pretty surprised if Abbott is off the mark on this one. Big Al's game is tailor-made for international competition - he is terrific defensive player both positionally and one-on-one, can score effectively in the post and facing up, and is a terrific passer to boot. If you assume Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh will be on the team, the only other big man I see standing in line ahead of Horford (if that, even) would be Greg Oden.

Horford is already on the national team radar, having participated on the US Select Team this summer in scrimmages against the senior team that competed in Beijing. Horford will most likely keep on improving between now and then, which could make his selection even more of a no-brainer, but if he merely maintains his current level I'd still put him on the roster if I were in charge (can I be in charge?).

Just another reason (on a growing list) I'm happy to have this guy on our team.

As I mentioned earlier, Zaza Pachulia appeared on CNN yesterday afternoon to discuss the conflict going on right now between Russia and his native Georgia (to learn more about the fighting, click here). The last few days have been tough on the Hawks' big man, as he has seen his otherwise peaceful homeland ravaged by fighting that has left over 2,000 dead and many more homeless..

Pachulia, who is about as big a sports celebrity as there is in Georgia (the Republic of, not the state), has been incredibly active since fighting broke out nearly a week ago, trying to help bring about a peaceful resolution. He attended peace rallies on Sunday and Tuesday night, and has appeared on CNN twice, once on CNN International and again yesterday on the regular network.

While most of the world's attention is on the Olympics in Beijing, Pachulia calls this time "the most stressful of his life" as he tries to stay in contact with his friends and family who are half the world away.

"Because of my age," says Pachulia, "A lot of my friends are still serving in the military. I have been able to get in contact with some of them, but others I have no idea. It's scary - I just want the fighting to end. Innocent people are being killed or losing their homes, and that just can't continue."

Zaza is supposed to travel back to Georgia next week to begin playing with his national team as they try to qualify for the 2009 European championships, but now that is up in the air.

"There are more important things than basketball going on right now," said Pachulia. "I want to go home and represent my country, but we can't be playing games when we have to worry about the stadium we are playing in being bombed."

Pachulia plans to continue to do all he can to help resolve the situation, but was quick to say that politics is not his game.

"I am not trying to talk about who is wrong and who is right," he said. "The most important thing to me is that there be peace, and that the people of Georgia not have to live in fear for their lives or their homes."

Well said, Zaza. Here's to the continued safety of all of Big Z's friends, family, and countrymen, and to hoping that things come to an end over there as soon as possible.

 

 

 

A busy day in the Hawks offices today, with the signing of Flip Murray and Zaza Pachulia appearing on CNN to talk about the conflict going on in his native Georgia right now (more on that in a bit). While I was out covering that, my cohort Jon "Newbs" Newberry got a chance to chat with Flip about coming to Atlanta. Here's what he had to say:

Hawks.com: What drew you to Atlanta?

Flip Murray: I have a familiar background with Rick [Sund] from when I was in Seattle. I had a chance to come play here with a young team on the rise, they took the world champs to a Game 7, so there's a lot of talent here. I like team's style of play - they get up and down the court. All of those pieces fit together, and add in my previous relationship with Rick, it just all came together.

Hawks.com: Have you talked to any of the guys on the team? Do you have any previous relationships with any of them?

FM: I see Marvin Williams in North Carolina a lot, and I chilled with Josh Smith a little bit last year in Cleveland during the playoffs. I've been in the league a lot of years and know a lot of guys, so I don't think I'll have any problems fitting in.

Hawks.com: The Hawks have lacked guys who can create their own shots in the past. Is that something that you see as part of your role with the team?

FM: Definitely. I had a conference call with the team when we were negotiating the deal, and I got a chance to talk to Coach Woodson. I asked him exactly what role he was looking to fill, and he said he was looking for a combo-guard, a guy who could create his own shot and make plays happen on his own. Hearing that opened my eyes and made the decision that much easier for me.

Hawks.com: You mentioned the team likes to get up and down the court - does that suit your style of play best?

FM: That's been my style since Day 1, since before I even got to high school and college. In Seattle that's what we did, they wanted us to push the tempo and that's what we did and had success. In Cleveland we got up and down a little bit, but Detroit was more of a slow it down style. I don't know if that fit me as well. But I do like that style, and I think Woody is going to let us do that and make things happen.

Hawks.com: Have you spent much time in Atlanta in the past?

FM: I have. I live up in North Carolina, so I've gotten down here a few times outside of coming to play here. I don't know it too well, but I know the places to be - and the places not to be.

Coming on the heels of Maurice Evans, Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter, and Thomas Gardner, the Hawks continued to reshape the roster today with another free agent signing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present: Ronald "Flip" Murray, newest Hawk and a guy who has the potential to fill a role the Hawks have been missing for the last several years - bench gunner. Dude can score.

For those that aren't familiar with his exploits, I'll give you a brief recap of his career:

Murray burst onto the scene in Seattle in 2003-04, stepping in for an injured Ray Allen to provide scoring for the Sonics, eventually appearing in all 82 games that season. He has bounced around a bit since then, playing for Detroit, Cleveland, and Indiana, but he's been a capable scorer at all stops and has shown the ability to start when needed.

The thing I like about Murray's game is his ability to create his own shot, a skill not many Hawks possess save for Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby (though I think Acie Law is developing). He's a vet, he's been in the playoffs, and he gives the team another shooter to take some of the pressure off our starters.

What do you think?

The Hawks continue to make some moves towards filling the roster for 2008-09, as tonight they have signed F Othello Hunter and G Thomas Gardner to the roster. Both Hunter and Gardner played on Atlanta's summer league team at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City, and both earned lots of positive reviews for their efforts there.

Hunter is a rookie power forward out of Ohio State who played in the national title game with Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr. (losing to current Hawk Al Horford). For more info I recommend his Draft Express bio.

Gardner played his college ball at Missouri, and has a reputation as a scorer. He had a cup of coffee with the Bulls last season, and more importantly (ok, less importantly) impressed me in summer camp. I'll be interested to see how he does against the vets come training camp.

I'll have the full release shortly, which should have all the juicy details...

UPDATE: Here is the release, as promised. What do you think?

Rick Sund spoke with me briefly just a moment ago to confirm, and had this to say:

"We are going to match the offer sheet, and Josh will continue to be a Hawk," said Sund. "We are looking forward to training camp in October. In the meantime, we are continuing to work to improve our roster.

"I just spoke to Josh, and he is happy to get the process behind him and move forward. The bottom line was, we wanted to make a quick decision once the offer came through to show Josh that we want him to remain a Hawk."

Smith is scheduled to be back in Atlanta to take his physical, and once the physical is completed the Hawks will officially match the offer.

Obviously, this is terrific news for the Hawks. More to come I'm sure...

UPDATE: Just to prove I'm not lying, here's the official release!

I know we are all anxious to see some resolution on the Josh Smith front, and it appears there might finally be something that could put the wheels in motion to move towards the end game.

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal is reporting that the Grizzlies, owners of a lot of cap space that they'd so far been unwilling to spend, have signed Smith to a 58-million dollar contract offer. The article doesn't say the length of the deal, but I have to assume it's for five years.

If that is indeed the case, the Hawks will have seven days to match the offer, figure out some sort of sign-and-trade, or let Smoove walk.

We've been waiting for some team to set the bar, and now it appears it's been set. I'll keep you posted should anything other news break...

UPDATE: I did a little research, and I was wrong on one count - once Josh signs the offer sheet, the Hawks sign-and-trade options go away. They can only sign him or let him go to Memphis.

UPDATE: Here is the official statement from the organization: “Consistent with our policy, the Hawks will not comment on confidential negotiations until we agree to a contract, or receive an official offer sheet.”

The NBA released the 2008-09 schedule today - here is the full release if you want to check it out. Having gone through it a bit, I have some initial thoughts about the slate:

1. It's a tough start, but a good finish. For the second straight year, the NBA did Atlanta no favors with the early draw. The team's first five games are against playoff teams from a year ago, and six of the first eight are on the road. Still, the schedule wraps up favorably for Atlanta, as 14 of the last 20 games are at Philips Arena.

2. There are some long home stands. I've been working with the Hawks for four seasons now, and to the best of my recollection I've never seen more than five games in a row at home (correction - I just looked, and apparently we had a seven-game homestand in 2005-06). This season we have two of that length or more. An absurd eight-game stand from Dec.13-29, and another seven-game set from Mar. 7-19. I'm not complaining, mind you, as the team has proven it handles its business at home much better than on the road over the past few years. Anyone planning to make every game of one of those streaks?

3. Still, the NBA doesn't pay attention to us. Last April, as you may recall, the Hawks captivated a national audience by taking the eventual champion Celtics to seven games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was pretty exciting, and you'd think with a young team on the rise we'd be a candidate for some national TV appearances in 08-09. Well, you'd be wrong. The Hawks play only one game on a Thursday (a home game against the Mavs) which means (at best) one game on TNT. The team has only one actual scheduled national game, at home against Boston on Dec. 17 on ESPN. What gives?

4. Keep an eye on the end of the season. The Eastern Conference had some shake-ups in the offseason (with perhaps more to come), but the Hawks last few games on the calendar look at this point to be against teams they may be in direct competition with for playoff berths or seeding. Starting with a home game against the Magic on April 4, the Hawks finish at Toronto, at Milwaukee, and home to Indiana and Miami before finishing the season at Memphis. I have a feeling several of those games will be hugely important by the time they come around.

5. And speaking of Miami. The Heat are scheduled to play only twice (Feb. 27 and April 14) in Atlanta this year...so far (sorry, I couldn't resist).

 What are your opening thoughts? Which games are you most looking forward to?

Word broke yesterday about the passing of Skip Caray, Atlanta broadcasting legend and all-around great guy. While many associate him with the Braves, he was also the Hawks broadcaster on radio and TV for many years, including many TBS broadcasts for the Dominique-era teams we remember so fondly.

Steve Holman, who has been the Voice of the Hawks for the past 23 seasons, remembered Caray in a phone call this morning:

"Skip was a pioneer of broadcasting in Atlanta," said Holman. "For many Hawks fans, he was their first introduction to the team when they came over from St. Louis. He was a great broadcaster and a great friend. Even when he went to strictly Braves broadcasts, he still had a soft spot in his heart for the Hawks. Over the years he would always shoot me an email when times were tough to boost my spirits, or to say congrats when things were going well.

"I'm glad I got to know him. I like to think we all take something from the greats, and I like to think I've got a little Skip in me. He will be missed."

Skip was to Atlanta what his father, Harry Caray, was to Chicago in many ways - a distinctive voice forever associated with the city's professional sports scene.

Our thoughts go out to his wife and family for their loss.

The Hawks introduced Randolph Morris today at the team offices at Centennial Tower, doing the whole "here's your jersey!" photo-op (see above) and making GM Rick Sund and Morris available to the media for questioning.

Sund actually related something fairly interesting during his opening comments - apparently, this signing originated on Morris' side, as he made initial contact with the Hawks about playing for them (I like to imagine he went about it the way everyone looks for jobs, by emailing a resume and saying something like "I look forward to speaking with you about this in the near future"). Morris came in and interviewed, participated in many of the pre-summer league workouts, and obviously did enough to show Sund that he was worth taking a shot on.

On that note I wholeheartedly agree. Morris is a big man, and as we all know the Hawks need more of those. He is a pretty skilled big offensively, with an impressive array of low-post moves. How many minutes he will get will presumably depend on his how well his defensive performance matches his work on the offensive end. But for the money (reportedly around the league-minimum), this is a terrific move for Atlanta.

I spoke to Randolph at the presser (if you want to call it that - it appears most of Atlanta's media is knee-deep in Falcons camp right now), and he definitely struck me as a guy who knows he has his work cut out for him in terms of getting into the rotation, but at the same time is extremely glad to have the opportunity here in his hometown.

As we continue to wait for a resolution to the Josh Smith situation, I am at least comforted by the fact that the team is making good pick-ups in the meantime to keep building the team (yeah, yeah, I know, Childress, but at this point we just have to move on).