The first thing a lot of people think of when they talk about Josh Childress (besides the 'fro) is the fact that the Hawks passed up Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala to draft him 6th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft.

I understand this thinking. Both Deng and Iguodala have blossomed into terrific NBA players, and while neither of their teams are doing much damage this season, they are both in line for big paydays over the summer.

Still, when people mention those two, it is always said as a way to disparage Childress and the Hawks' decision to draft him.

The problem with that argument is that while people are salivating over Deng and Iguodala, they are ignoring the fact that Childress has become a very talented NBA player in his own right, and one who is nearly as important to his team (if not equally so). Don't believe me? Take a look at John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Ratings, where you'll see Childress (18.10 PER) is ahead of Deng (17.63) and just behind Iguodala (18.70).

I bring this up today because given his performance of late, Chills is long overdue the props he deserves. Just look at his last two games (both Hawks victories): an absurd 19-22 from the field, putting up 23 and 21 points in the process.

Chills is the kind of player every team needs to be successful, because he does all of the little things that help them win. He hits free throws (a career-best 83.5% this season),  rebounds on both ends (something many thought would be an issue for him given his slight stature), and he can play (and defend) multiple positions, including the point.

But the thing I like the most about Chills' game is his understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, and his ability to stick to the things that work and away from ones that don't.

How is that put into practice? I'm glad you asked.

Take a look at this:

This is a chart of all of Childress's shots in the 2007-08 season so far. The results are pretty mind-boggling, if you ask me. Chills has taken 312 shots this year, and of those, 80% have come from the area right around the basket. This is a good thing, since he is shooting 66% (164-249) from there. His shooting percentages from outside that area don't look that great at first glance (he is 17-63 for 27%), but it's such a small sample size it's hard to draw any real conclusions.

I tend to believe Josh is better than a 27% shooter from midrange to the perimeter, but that's besides the point. Chills knows the best way for him to score is to get to the rack, and therefore he devotes almost all his effort on the offensive end towards that purpose - getting out in transition, making cuts, and crashing the offensive glass. As a result, he is a lay-up machine (with a penchant for highlight-reel dunks as well), and he is able to average double-figures in points (12.2 so far this season) without the Hawks ever running a play for him.

Childress may not be an All-Star, but he is definitely capable of taking home some hardware someday. He is the perfect 6th man for the Hawks, and as the team continues to mature and succeed, I don't doubt you'll start to see his name mentioned as a candidate in that category.

Would Deng or Iguodala look good in a Hawks uniform? Sure. But Josh Childress looks just fine, and the Hawks are lucky to have him.

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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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Josh Childress and Harold Ellis teach at Basketball Without Borders - Africa

The NBA's Basketball Without Borders program is really one of the best charitable programs in any professional sport. It should get a lot more press than it does, but regardless it gives many NBA players a chance to see the world and give back to the worldwide community.

Several Hawks have been involved in the last couple years, including Zaza Pachulia and Marvin Williams, and this year also marks the second straight year Josh Childess has participated. We caught up to him as he took part this past week in Basketball Without Borders - Africa, which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from Sept. 5-9, to find out more about his experience:

Hawks.com: You did BWB last year in China - how does the African version compare?

Josh Childress: The Africa version is very different to Basketball without Borders Asia especially being African American - the kids here in Africa really really look up to you they see you as a real role model and also just the level of athleticism and how much the kids really love to learn it's a big difference. But both camps were great and I'm looking forward to doing more as the years go on.

Hawks.com: You spent time Wednesday at the Apartheid Museum. What was that experience like?
JC: The Apartheid museum was a real eye-opening experience. I'd heard about the apartheid regime but you never really know until you witness it and there I saw it first hand. It was amazing, it was great to learn that people went through such a struggle and it was a real eye-opener for me and it as very humbling and it makes me realize how blessed I am. I really enjoyed that experience.

Hawks.com: What is the best part of the BWB program for you?
JC: The best part of the BWB program to me is the really the community events. This year in South Africa we did Habitat For Humanity where we helped build a home and just to go to these communities that are so poverty stricken and you see these kids faces and its incredible. We worked on building a house, and when it was done I gave a kid the gloves that I used to work on the house and he was thrilled and he was pumping his chest and just so excited.

Hawks.com: Is it nice getting to share the experience with Hawks scout Harold Ellis and broadcaster Steve Smith?
JC: It's definitely nice to share the experience with Steve and Harold. I don't get to hang out with them much during the regular season so just getting to know them and hearing stories about back when they used to play was great. It will be cool for us being able to go back and share our experiences with the people from Atlanta - that will be great as well.

Hawks.com: Most of your teammates are back in Atlanta beginning their preparation for the season. Have you talked to them at all? Are you planning on joining them when BWB is over?
JC: I haven't been able to talk to most of my teammates just because of the time difference and calling the US is pretty expensive.  I know they are there working hard and I definitely plan on coming back to Atlanta on Monday, and I look forward to getting back with the team and starting off the season how we mean to carry on.

Click here to see more photos of J-Chill's trip to South Africa.

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With summer league play over (job well done Shelden and Acie, nabbing All-RMR honors - and Al Horford might have if he hadn't hurt his ankle), and nothing else really going on until the start of training camp in October, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at the Hawks roster and check out everyone's status on the team. It should be a good way to kill some time over the next few weeks and help bridge the gap until the season starts!

Today we continue the series with jack-of-all-trades G/F Josh Childress. How do you think these players will do? Leave your answers in the comments!

Josh Childress

2007 Stats: 13.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 50% FG, 80% FT

2007 Highlights: A slow starter his first two seasons in the league, Chills started out hot for the Hawks, making up for the absence of Marvin Williams by putting up 15+ points in four of the team's first seven games. Unfortunately, the injury bug hit him soon thereafter, as a stress fracture in his foot cost him 27 games the rest of the season. In 55 games, he still managed to have some pretty terrific performances. He put up a stat-stuffing 22 points, 12 boards, 6 assists and 5 blocks in a 102-100 loss to Portland on March 23, 23 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in a 100-96 win over Boston on January 15, and poured in a season-high 25 in a 99-76 pasting of Sacto on March 19.

Here is an interesting nugget I found while looking over his season, by the way. If you consider Chills a guard (and I do) more than a forward, then his 2.2 offensive rebounds per game was the best in the NBA amongst all guards. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

What he needs to work on this summer: Getting healthy (a recurring theme in these recaps, eh?). The Hawks need Chills on the court as much as possible, as he is the type of player who does all of the little things needed to get wins on a consistent basis. Josh's 3-pt FG percentage dipped last season from nearly 50% to 34%, but that's more in line with what most players typically shoot from long range. It's hard to think of one particular thing he needs to work on, as he has always struck me as a guy who is good at a lot of things but not necessarily great at any one thing. Basically, he needs to work on getting a little better at everything (not too much to ask, is it?).

Outlook for 2007-08: Chills has kept a somewhat low profile on the Hawks offensively in the past, letting the game come to him and rarely forcing anything. It has served him well, as he has had very high shooting percentages in each of his first three years. However, going into his fourth season, I think he needs to assert himself more. Not in a way that will make him force things, but in a way that makes opposing defenses take more notice of where he is and, ideally, force them to think harder about double-teaming JJ.

Chill, like Josh, is playing for a contract extension, so it's important he play well if he wants to really get paid.

What say you?

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Josh Childress is widely considered to be the biggest techie on the Hawks roster. Recently he sat down with Earthling, Earthlink's official blog, to discuss his interests in technology. Here is an excerpt:

What's your favorite social networking site and why?

My favorite right now is MySpace because it's the best way for me to stay in touch with fans and also reconnect with people that I've lost contact with over the years -- from college, high school, and even elementary school. [Note: Josh's MySpace page is over here]

Do you read what fans write about you?

Yes and no. I sift through every now and then to see what people are saying. But it's sort of an unwritten rule in sports not to read the newspaper or message boards because if you pay attention to everything you read, you will go crazy. Of course, you want to read all the positive comments but there are always people who are going to be negative. Sometimes the amount of negativity outweighs the comments from fans who really appreciate you and your game.

I've heard you're using a Helio Drift. How do you like it? What ring do you use?

I really like the Helio Drift. It's small, compact, and easy to use. Although a lot of my friends don't have Helios yet, when they see mine they always ask about it. Right now my ringtone is "money in the bank" but I'm working on downloading a new one.

To read the rest of his interview, check out the full article.
 

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Well, I suppose a valedictory of the season is warranted before we truly move on to the business at hand of figuring out just where the ping-pong balls are going to put us for the NBA Draft.

I look at the past season as a four-act play.

Act One - Hangin In:
This comprised most of the first quarter of the season, where we battled through injuries (a recurring theme) to stand 8-9 after an improbable 98-96 win at Denver on December 6. Things were looking up - we were set to get Marvin Williams back from his broken finger, Joe Johnson was one of the leading scorers in the NBA, and Tyronn Lue was playing the best basketball of his career.

Act Two - Die Hard:
It began the next game out, as JJ hurt his calf against the Lakers and things started to trend in the wrong direction. The tipping point came in two games, as the Hawks failed to hold onto two late-game leads (including a 21-point fourth quarter spread) against the Bulls and Jazz. Those losses were devastating. I don't think I've ever felt two losses affect my physical well-being as those games did, and I just work on the website. You can imagine what it did to the team's confidence.

At this point, a perfect storm of circumstances caused the season to spiral downward at an almost dizzying pace. T-Lue hurt his groin. Josh Smith had to have surgery for a hernia. Speedy continued to deal with knee problems that limited his effectivess. Joe's calf. Marvin's finger. Shelden's shoulder. Childress's foot. It went on and on, and all while the team dealt with a brutal schedule that saw the team face seven playoff teams in eight games (with the eighth being Indiana, a team that was comfortably in the playoff picture at that point).

Predictably, the team lost all eight games, and now, sitting at 9-21, hope appeared lost.

Act Three - The Resurrection:
A surprising thing happened at that point. Act Three saw the team begin to play better, starting with an 86-74 home win over the Clippers on January 6. Despite a few bad losses (including consecutive blowouts to Charlotte on back-to-back nights), the Hawks strung together some impressive wins, including a home victory over Detroit, on the road at Minnesota, and home-and-away wins against Orlando to take the season series. The Hawks finished January with a winning record, the first time the team had achieved such a feat over a full month since a 9-7 March back in 2002. February started off well too - the team won three of four on a West Coast road trip going into the All-Star break (including an all-but-inconceivable win at Phoenix), and things were looking up. Even with all the injuries and the big losing streak, the team was just a few games out of a playoff spot to start the second half and to top it off, Joe made the Eastern Conference All-Star team (yeah yeah, I know it was as a replacement, but we all know he was deserving, so shut it).

Unfortunately, that led to:

Act Four - the Deluge:
Another brutal stretch of scheduling (at Chicago, home to Houston, Phoenix, and San Antonio, and at Dallas), saw the team fall further back, and then the bottom dropped out when Joe Johnson was lost for the season after suffering a calf injury at Miami on March 5. The team responded well at first, winning four straight, but eventually the loss of their best player was too much to overcome. Further injuries continued to compound the problem, and soon the playoffs faded from sight. Fans began rooting for the team to lose (Commies) to protect the draft pick that heads to Phoenix if not in the top three, and the team obliged, albeit unwillingly.

There were positives even in the free fall, as Josh Smith continued to show off the game that leads many to predict All-Star game appearances in his future, and both Marvin and Shelden Williams had strong finishes with increased playing time.

Now, as we get ready to begin working on the script for 2007-08, it's time to say thanks to all the fans who stuck with the team through a true roller-coaster of a season. It was great at times and excruciating at times, but hopefully in the end the team takes with them the necessary lessons to build towards tomorrow.

Despite the season's finish, I find myself very optimistic about the future. Yes, we finished with the 4th worst record in the league. But I refuse to believe we couldn't have competed for a playoff spot, if not earned one outright, if we had ever gotten the chance to play with a full deck. We didn't and that's on us - every team deals with injuries, so you can't play the poor me card too much. But I'm not ready to give up on this roster, and I think we are set up to make some interesting moves this summer to improve.

So again - thanks to all the fans for your support this season. Good times are around the corner, I can feel it. Stick with us.

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The 2006-07 season has come to a close. It's crazy - it feels like it just started. I can't believe it's over.

We went out on a positive note, beating down the Pacers 118-102 to finish the season with an even 30 wins against 52 losses.

I will get more in depth in the coming weeks, breaking down the players and everything, but for now I will just say that I think that everyone is disappointed in how the season ended (despite last night's victory), but that every player I talked to is determined to do what it takes over the summer to do better in 07-08.

Today was the day they cleared out the lockers for the summer and had their exit interviews with Coach Woodson.

It was personally sad for me, as it may have been the last time I see Royal Ivey, who I have watched since he was a freshman at Texas, and who is an unrestricted free agent going into the off-season.

I spoke to Marvin Williams and Josh Childress about the season and their summer plans. Marvin is headed back to Chapel Hill for summer school, while Childress is heading to South Africa to participate in Basketball Without Borders for the second straight summer.

I also did one final episode of The Show With The Show with Tyronn Lue. T-Lue is a huge NBA fan, so he will be in the audience at several playoff games over the next few weeks. His picks for the finals? Dallas and Detroit.

As I said, I will have more recap of the season in the coming weeks, but for now, here are some pics from the morning:

Solo and Video Coordinator John Beckett on the phone. They may have been talking to each other

Zaza Pachulia gets interviewed by a member of the Georgian media (the Republic, not the state)

Sekou Smith talks to Josh Childress about his summer plans

Chills and Solo clean out their lockers

 

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What was already a rough end to the season (with season-ending injuries to Joe Johnson and Speedy Claxton) just got a little harsher, as it was discovered that Josh Childress has a stress fracture in his right foot that will sideline him for the next 4-to-6 weeks.

I am sure the conspiracy theorists out there will claim this is a move designed to help the team tank and secure a top-three draft pick, but believe me this injury is no laughing matter. Chills was sidelined earlier this season with some foot issues, and though he was able to come back, hopefully the rest he will get now will allow him to be fully healed (no pun intended) in time for next season.

In the meantime, the Hawks will play the Nets tonight without three of their top six, which just means we'll have to get some quality minutes from the reserves. Salim has shown what he can do with extended playing time; hopefully we'll see more production from the rookie bigs as well.

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Five straight home wins. This has just been the screwiest season I can remember in years. First we could only win on the road. Now we are killing teams at home. Last night wasn't really even close. We led nearly the entire first half, then absolutely destroyed Sac-town in the third, tie-ing a franchise record by holding them to only eight points in the quarter.

Everyone who played contributed last night. Zaza Pachulia had 18 points at halftime on his way to 23 on 11-12 shooting. Marvin Williams had nearly a double-double in the first half, finishing with a full one (13 points, 11 rebounds).

And then there was Josh Smith. A short aside first.

Last night, about one minute into the game, ace Hawks PR man Jason Roose came over to my station on press row to ask if I was live-blogging the game. I wasn't, but FYI, I will be live-bloggin Wednesday night for the Miami game (plug!). I asked him why, and he said he wanted it on the record that Josh Smith was going to get his first triple-double tonight. Obviously, you will have to take me at my word on this one, but the game literally was less than 90 seconds old when he made this proclamation. Man was he close to being right.

Josh ended up a point shy of turning Roose into a modern-day Nostradamus (Smoove finished with 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists), but the fact that he came that close is just another testament to the all-around player Smith is on his way to becoming.

Just to recap, in the last week, Josh has now set career-bests in points (32 against Minnesota), rebounds (17 vs Philly), and assists (10 against Sacto). He is starting to remind me of myself, actually. And by that I mean, when I used to rock Tecmo NBA Basketball on my old-school Nintendo, I used to play with the Bulls and see how many different things I could do with Michael Jordan, like how many steals he could get, or points he could score, etc.

The way Josh is playing right now, it's almost like he is thinking to himself, "Let's see, what statistical category do I want to fill up tonight?" Meanwhile, the Hawks have won five of seven since losing Joe Johnson. Cause that makes sense.

By the way, the picture to the right is from a dunk Smith nearly pulled off last night that, had he finished it, would have probably been the best dunk these eyes had ever seen. Here is a link below to see for yourself. He missed it, but man if he had nailed it...wow.

Josh Childress, lest we forget his efforts, also had a great night as well, popping for a season-high 25 points. He was particularly present in the third period, hitting 6-6 from the field and earning himself the lead in Rob Blackstien's fantasy hoops column for USA Today.

With the Heat coming to town Wednesday night, it will be important for the Hawks to play team ball the way they did against the Kings (they dished out a season-high 32 assists). They can win this game without Joe. Man, who thought we would be able to say that two weeks ago.

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