The Hawks participated in their final public tune-up for the season last night with an open scrimmage at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, and the effort was there. Marvin Williams in particular looked impressive, scoring 20+ points in the scrimmage and providing several highlight-reel slams.

The crowd certainly got a kick out of the action, especially considering it was the first time they got to see Josh Smith on the McEachern court since he last played high school ball there in 2003.

Both open practices were a ton of fun, and for those that couldn't make it, put it on your mental calendar for next year.

The 2007-08 NBA season tips off tonight with three games. Man, the offseason flew by. Three days and counting until the Hawks opener against Dallas, and I am on pins and needles.

We have been debating back and forth over here what the preseason meant to the Hawks, who posted their best record (7-1) since 1983. In an effort to get more opinion on the subject, we tossed out the question of the importance of the exhibition season to several Hawks-related bloggers to get their thoughts. Check it out, we will definitely be doing this kind of feature throughout the season.

In the weekly podcast with Slam Magazine's Lang Whitaker yesterday (whose first column for the Hawks website will be posted tomorrow), we discussed the possibility that the Hawks played their starters so much in the preseason so they would be ready for the brutal stretch of games the team has to start the season. I don't know if that is the case, but it does make some sense - Atlanta can't afford to play their way into regular season shape given their schedule. They have to hit the ground running, and running fast.

In other news, our fantasy basketball league is up and running, as my team, Wilkins' Warriors, takes on Memphis for the season's first week and a half (we are playing a head-to-head format).

Wilkins' Warriors Season Opening Roster
PGs - Stephon Marbury, Mo Williams
SGs - Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Daniel Gibson
SFs - Shawn Marion, Josh Howard
PFs - Kenyon Martin, Paul Millsap, Al Horford, Darko Milicic
Cs - Yao Ming, Andrew Bogut, Ike Diogu

I am pretty happy with my roster, though I have to admit, I got beaten to the punch on several players I wanted to draft. Also, I tried to draft Gerald Wallace in the third round, but somehow the applet took too long and I ended up with Ray Allen instead. I may try to trade him. You can see my roster to the right.

I like to be a wheeler dealer in most of my fantasy leagues, so expect this to change throughout the season.

I only have one Hawk as of now, Al Horford, but if I can get my hands on Josh Smith (unlikely) or Josh Childress (more likely), I'll be happy as they usually contribute across the board.

Enjoy the games tonight - our season is almost here!

Update: Here is a study from 82games.com that illustrates a potential correlation between preseason success and regular season success. This bodes well for the Hawks (7-1), and for the Magic (6-1) and Pacers (6-2) as well. (Thanks to Kevin Cott for the link)

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...click here.

The password is: MCCORK

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Just wanted to share this with you:

http://thehighlightfactory.com/

It's a really cool new way to look for Hawks tickets for the upcoming season. You can search for games by date, opponent, or day of the week, and it also shows you if there are any packages associated with a particular home game.

It's a great tool if you are interested in seeing several home games this year but are unsure how to best maximize your money.

Check it out!

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Back in the office today after traveling with the team to New Orleans for their last preseason game, a 107-98 win over the Hornets on Wednesday night. It was an interesting trip to say the least, beginning with the visit to several areas of the city that were ravaged by Katrina and ending with a win that gave the Hawks their best preseason record (7-1) since 1983.

The team looked good last night, no question about it. The lineup that really intrigues me is when we have Joe, Marvin, the Joshes, and Al Horford on the court at the same time. That's five guys all between 6-8 and 6-10, and it causes some serious matchup issues for the opposition. Of course, it also makes us incredibly vulnerable inside, but it's still very intriguing.

There are two more chances to see the Hawks before the regular season begins - tonight at Woodward Academy, and Monday at McEachern.

I cannot stress this enough - these open scrimmages are...awesome. I grew up in Jackson, MS, and my high school, Murrah, was the big bad wolf in the state - basically the Patriots of Mississippi high school basketball. Murrah's home games were some of the greatest sports memories of my life - several hundred people crammed into a tiny little gym, making as much noise as you'd hear in a sold out arena.

The scrimmage tonight at Woodward will have that same feel, even if it's only an exhibition between teammates, just because the space is so intimate. The fans are literally inches away from the court. It's like nothing you will see at any time the rest of the year, and if you have any way to get out there for the 7:00 pm start, I promise it will be worth your while.

 

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Your intrepid regular blogger Micah is with the team in New Orleans and should be filing a report soon on the team's visit to some of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. Some powerful stuff.

In the meantime, check out Sekou Smith's excellent story in today's AJC...worth a read.

UPDATE: Here's Micah's story from N.O.

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A terrific win by the Hawks last night as they held on late to beat the Wizards 103-99 in the team's final home game of the preseason. I know it's only preseason, but there is just a lot to like right now about the way things are going for this group. The guys have one more preseason contest, tomorrow night at New Orleans, and then the countdown is on to the season-opener Friday Nov. 2 against Dallas.

Speaking of tomorrow's game against New Orleans, I will actually be making the trip to the Big Easy with the team. It's the first time the Hawks have visited New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and Hawks VP of Public Relations Arthur Triche, a New Orleans native, has arranged for the team to tour several sites to give them a sense of the damage and destruction. We talked all about it yesterday in the weekly podcast - for almost every player on the team, this will be their first time to New Orleans, and it promises to be a real eye-opener.

As someone who grew up in Mississippi just a couple hours from New Orleans, I have a soft spot in my heart for the city and what it has gone through over the past two years, and I think it's incredibly important to keep the entire region in the national conscience. As the team will see over the course of the next two days, the calendar may have turned twice since Katrina but there is still a ton of work left to be done to restore the area.

I will be documenting the team's trip to the affected areas here on the website, so check back this week for photos and interviews.

As we are seeing with the wildfires in California this week, disasters and emergencies can happen anywhere. It's important that we lend a hand where we can, so that others will do the same for us if it ever (god forbid) happened to us.

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A few notes to end the week, and then I'm off for the weekend:

- For anyone who was able to listen to the broadcast of the Hawks-Bobcats game yesterday on Hawks.com, you have to be particularly pleased with the way rookies Al Horford and Acie Law played. Both got plenty of crunch time minutes in the Hawks 104-98 win, and by all accounts both held their own and then some. From what I hear, Horford was pretty much imposing his will in the 4th quarter on both ends of the court.

- I spoke to Hawks coach Mike Woodson today about the team's 5-1 start to the preseason, and he seemed very upbeat about the way things are going. It's always hard to judge how much emphasis to place on games that don't count in the standings, but even still you have to be happy with the way things are going. Yesterday's win, while preseason, was over Charlotte's full squad playing meaningful minutes (minus Primoz Brezec, a decent player but not a game changer), and came without Joe Johnson, who had a planned rest day. I expect Charlotte to be a better team this season, so beating them on the road is no small feat.

- I also sat with Mario West for a couple minutes, as the former Georgia Tech player continues to make it harder and harder for this coaching staff to let him go when camp is over. Quickly becoming a fan favorite at Philips Arena, West has a chance to cast himself in the Royal Ivey role if the team decides to keep him around. With 14 guaranteed contracts on the roster as is, the odds are still against him, but the energy and hustle he brings to the table have certainly not gone unnoticed.

- ESPN is breaking down 30 questions for 30 teams for fantasy purposes, and today they profiled the Hawks. Their question? Which Hawks forward (besides Josh Smith) has the best chance of breaking out this season? Read the whole thing to see what they have to say, but for my money, I'm looking for Al Horford to be a 17-and-8 guy by midseason at worst. Minutes will be hard to come by at first, but the more he shines, the harder it will be for the coaching staff to keep him off the floor.

- We had our fantasy draft yesterday, and I will have much more on this next week, but I nabbed Shawn Marion, Yao Ming, Ray Allen, Josh Howard, and Mo Williams to be the anchors for the Wilkins' Warriors squad. I feel good about their chances...

Have a good weekend!

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* Al Horford finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks, leading the Hawks past the Bobcats, 104-98, as Atlanta improved to 5-1 in preseason.

* Josh Childress added 19, while Josh Smith (17), Marvin Williams (12), Acie Law (10) and Anthony Johnson (10) also scored in double figures ... Gerald Wallace poured in 34 to pace the Bobcats.

* Atlanta moved ahead 28-21 after one, and increased the advantage to 49-40 at the half behind 11 points apiece from Josh Childress and Josh Smith ... Charlotte cut the deficit to 4 (76-72) through three, but the Hawks hung on for the six-point win.

* Zaza Pachulia suffered a left knee sprain late in the third quarter, and did not return to the contest ... He will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

* Joe Johnson (coach's decision) did not dress, while Tyronn Lue (knee), Salim Stoudamire (hamstring), Shelden Williams (back) and Speedy Claxton (not with team) also missed the contest.

* Next week, the Hawks play their final two preseason games, at home on Monday against Washington (7 pm) and at New Orleans on Wednesday (8 pm), both broadcast on 790 The Zone.

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I will have much, much more on this later, but we are doing a new thing around these parts this year - fantasy basketball!

I am joining a league comprised of website editors from around the NBA, and we are having our live draft starting at 2:00 ET today.

The league should be a lot of fun, and we will be writing about it (myself and the other participants) throughout the season with fantasy analysis, advice, and of course, trash talk.

I fully expect to dominate this league, by the way. Check back later today as I break down my squad, and if you are reading this between the hours of 2-4 pm, feel free to offer your draft advice!

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I missed the first two home preseason games, so last night was my first chance to see the boys in the new unis and on the new court.

I've been on record as saying I like the new duds, and I stand by that statement.

That being said, let's talk about the game. You know who I like? Al Horford. Man, I really like that guy's game.

For anyone who was there last night, you had to be impressed by the way he handled himself in the paint and running the floor. Several times he ended up leading the break, and his handle is impressive for a guy his size.

Last night was also my first chance to see the team running it's up tempo package, and I was surprised to see how comfortably Anthony Johnson ran it. Not to slight AJ, but he strikes me as more of a halfcourt offensive player. Yet there he was on Tuesday, pushing the pace repeatedly and getting the team into their offense early in the shot clock.

Though the team still has a ways to go before they are running the offense efficiently enough to make it completely successful (like getting back on defense just as quickly to prevent breaks going the other way), I felt like I saw enough to know that two players look to benefit from the tempo in particular: Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams.

It may seem silly to list Joe, as he pretty much benefits from any offensive strategy just because he is so freakin' good, but I'm telling you, he looked like the Joe Johnson who was dropping trey-bombs all over Phoenix in his last year there at times last night.

He and Marvin are the team's best perimeter shooters, and each of them found themselves wide open for jumpers early in the shot clock several times last night.

Basically, AJ would push it quickly up the court, and Marvin and Joe would already be in shooting position, usually near the corner, waiting for the ball to get to them.

When you think of the Hawks playing up tempo you may think of the team trying to get to the hole for layups, and certainly that is something the team wants to do, but it's also about getting open shots before the defense gets set. With jump shooters as talented as Marvin and Joe (you can toss Salim Stoudamire in there as well), there should be plenty of opportunities for them during the season if the team can maintain this pace without sacrificing their defense.

Either way, it bears paying attention to see how the offense continues to develop.

After practice today the guys left to go to Charlotte for tomorrow's preseason affair against the Bobcats, a Children's Special that begins at 10:30 am. Yowsa. Make sure to set those alarm clocks a little early so you can hit snooze a few times, guys.

If you are interested in listening to the game, you can check it out live on Hawks.com, which will be streaming the game online.

Meanwhile, there are only three more preseason games to go before they count in the standings. I'm starting to get excited...

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* The Hawks topped the Minnesota Timberwolves in preseason play on Tuesday at Philips Arena, 103-77, improving to 4-1 in preseason.

* Zaza Pachulia led a balanced attack with 16 points, while Marvin Williams added 15 ... Josh Smith (14), Joe Johnson (13 pts, 8 asts), Mario West (10) and Shelden Williams (10) also scored in double figures.

* The Hawks shot 55.0% in the first half, and took a 60-42 advantage into the break. After the Wolves outscored the Hawks, 28-20, in the third quarter, Atlanta scored the first 21 points of the fourth quarter to pull away for good. The final fourth quarter differential was 23-7.

* The Hawks continued to record big numbers from the foul line, hitting 27-32 from the stripe.

* Atlanta heads to Charlotte to face the Bobcats on Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. (streaming audio at hawks.com).

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Just a quick note I wanted to pass along:

The Hawks preseason game Thursday against the Charlotte Bobcats won't be televised, but we are happy to announce you will be able to hear an audio broadcast of the game live on Hawks.com! Check back on the Hawks website at 10:30 am on Thursday to hear all the action from Charlotte Bobcats Arena as the Hawks get up early to take on the Bobcats.

Just make sure you put your headphones on so no one at work knows what you're up to!

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I know there are a lot of people out there who scoff at the work of people like ESPN's John Hollinger, refusing to believe that there could be any other way to judge basketball players than by points, rebounds, and assists.

Still, the stats-behind-the-stats movement is gaining steam across all sports, and Hollinger is probably the most well known amongst the NBA crowd (and was kind enough to do a Q&A with us this past season).

Anyway, his yearly PER rankings (Player Efficiency Ratings) were released yesterday, and in them he foresees good things for several Hawks players.

For one, he projects Josh Smith as the 25th most efficient player in the league, right in front of All-Stars Ray Allen (26th), Rashard Lewis (27th), Chauncey Billups (28th), Vince Carter (29th), and Shawn Marion (30th). I mean, look at those names - that is some heady company.

Joe Johnson checks in at 39th. For those wondering how Joe could be 14 spots lower than J-Smoove, just remember the impact that Josh has on the defensive end with his blocked shots and steals (Joe is a great defender, but defensive performance is the hardest thing for most statisticians to quantify outside of blocks and steals, so Josh gets quite a boost from that). Interestingly, I think Hollinger rates Joe lower than you might think for someone as talented as he is because he expects the Hawks to improve this year and require Johnson to shoulder less of the load.

These rankings aren't perfect, and Hollinger doesn't argue that they are the end-all-be-all of player evaluations. But still interesting to see where his complex mathematical formulas have the Hawks performing.

Hollinger sets the league average at 15.00, and has four Hawks eclipsing that mark: Smith at a team-high 20.74, Johnson at 18.77, Zaza Pachulia with 16.87, and Josh Childress at 16.6 (who, in his notes, he trumps as a legit Sixth Man candidate). Tyronn Lue and Marvin Williams check in just below the cut-line at 14.68 for T-Lue and 14.63 for Marv. It should be noted that rookies don't get rankings, so though he is very high on Al Horford and, to an extent, Acie Law, they don't show up here.

If you don't have ESPN Insider, you won't be able to see all the profiles of the individual players, but the rankings themselves are fascinating and represent the next generation of player evaluation, so definitely check them out.

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As reported this morning by Sekou Smith in the AJC, the Hawks debuted their new jerseys last night in the preseason contest at Orlando. From what it sounds like, the guys are pretty excited about the new look. Don't take it from me though, take it from Tyronn Lue:

"If we play as good as our uniforms look, we're going to be dangerous," Lue joked with Josh Smith before the Hawks' exhibition opener. "Come on now, you can't fight this one. Those uniforms look good."

Since most of us missed the game (it wasn't on TV or radio, so you'd have had to seen the game in person), I thought I'd post a little photo gallery from the game to show you the new duds.

What do you think? I think they look, as the kids say (do they still say this?), "tight".

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The Hawks got their first win of the preseason last night, rallying from a nine-point deficit late to win 94-93 over the Magic in Orlando. While preseason results are mostly meaningless, there are clearly still positives to build on from the game - 22 and 11 from Josh Smith, five assists against only one turnover from rookie PG Acie Law, and the fact that the Hawks pushed the pace when possible, showing again a clear initiative to implement an up-tempo offense for 2007-08.

Dwight Howard was a man-child as always for Orlando (how old does he have to be before I have to stop describing him that way?), and perhaps his dominance in the paint is a cause for concern, but the way I see it is, who in the NBA can stop him? He's going to be dropping 30 and 11 on a lot of teams this season.

In other news, the Hawks held an open scrimmage at Philips Arena on Saturday. I was at a wedding in Lake Charles, Louisiana, so I missed it, but fortunately reader Anson W. was there and wrote in with these observations:

1. The increased pace of play is very evident. Players however have work to do with conditioning.
2. Josh Childress will benefit greatly and should be an early candidate for 6th Man of the Year.
3. Josh Smith still seems to have focus problems when things are not going his way. Also still has problems with his "handle".
4. Marvin Williams seems to be feeling the pressure to live up to his draft hype. He needs to relax.
5. Al Horford is the real-deal and should make a run for Rookie of the Year. His energy will raise the whole team. His game gives us something we've lacked for past few years.
6. Overall we have a good squad with quality depth. We desperately need to start the season strong since most of these players are used to losing and lack confidence. If they gain confidence early then I feel the sky is the limit.

Thanks for that, Anson. My only comments are that from what I've heard, Josh Smith tore it up on Saturday. Though he took a couple ill-advised shots, it sounds like he was pretty active and aggressive on both ends. I expect Josh to take bad shots from time to time, but I absolutely love his aggressiveness.

And as for Marvin, it sounds like he had a terrible game, but was out there working out the kinks hours after the scrimmage over, working with Joe Johnson to regain the touch he seemed to be missing.

The Hawks practice today in Orlando, and then head to Miami to play the Heat tomorrow. 23 days till the opener and counting!
 

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I wasn't able to make it down to practice yesterday, but I caught all the action from today's scrimmage down at Philips Arena. Another spirited effort by the players, as they continue to try to adapt to a more frenetic pace of play.

It's going to be interesting to see how quickly they can adapt to it, I'll say that much. They are definitely still in the learning stages. It's funny, you'd think that playing faster would be easier, since it requires more of the natural athleticism that most NBA athletes possess, but it's actually pretty difficult to do it well. Still, there is no doubt that the up tempo pace suits many of the Hawks players better than a slower, half-court game, so it's definitely worth a shot to see how much they can push it.

I spoke to Josh Childress about it after practice, as he figures to benefit from the new playing style more than most of his teammates. As a guy who gets a lot of his baskets off lay-ups in transition and by flying around the basket in general, I can see Chills adding several points to his average just by beating his man down the court or being a trailer on the break.

Don't forget tomorrow is your chance to get your first look at the Hawks with the open practice at Philips Arena. Doors open at 11:45 am, so make sure to come by and check it out. I won't be able to make it as I will be out of town at a wedding, but if anyone is there and wants to provide their commentary, feel free to email your thoughts to me at hawks.mailbag@atlantaspirit.com  I may even post your comments (or photos)!

Here are some pictures from today, and you will hopefully notice a jump in quality over previous pics as I was using a much better camera today. Once I learn how to use it better, they should get even better...

Solomon Jones works on his shooting touch

Joe and Marvin head to the locker room after practice

Zaza works on his post moves with new Hawks assistant coach Alton Lister

The picture perfect stroke of Salim Stoudamire

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With the season approaching, websites around the intertubes are starting to publish their predictions for the upcoming season. As they come in (read: pop up on my google reader), I will post them here to show you what the world thinks of our hometown Hawks.

First and foremost, ESPN's John Hollinger, surprisingly, has the Hawks making the playoffs this season ($), slating them in the 7th spot in the East and third in the Southeast Division. I personally find Hollinger to be one of the brighter NBA writers around, so it makes me happy to see he is bullish on the team this early. The Wages Of Wins blog has their preview of the Hawks, and it has harsh things to say about Marvin that I strongly disagree with, but they are entitled to their opinions.

In other news, Marvin did an interview with Dime Magazine you can check out here. And as always, don't forget to check out the work Sekou Smith does over at the AJC - he has been profiling several of the Hawks players in the last week or so, including