After Media Day on Monday afternoon at Philips, where the Hawks players spent a couple hours doing interviews, taking photos, and showing off their new duds, the guys got down to official business today with the start of training camp and the team's first practice.

Though they don't allow staff to observe all of practice, they did let us in for about the last half hour or so, and it was enough time for me to form some impressions. To wit:

- It appears the team is serious about getting out and running this season. I know that has been talked about in these parts over the last couple years, and for whatever reason never really implemented, but based on the early signs, this team looks like it is making a commitment this year. During a portion of the time I was in there, the team went through several exercises designed to set them playing in an up tempo style, and afterwards Coach Woodson addressed this aspect specifically, saying the team is planning to run, but that it will take discipline and fitness to do so.

The guys looked fairly ragged doing the up tempo drills, but I attribute that more to beginning camp than anything else. Bottom line, the guys have a month to work on getting in shape and learning to run a truly up tempo offense, and the fact that they are moving in that direction is a very positive sign for those who believe that running gives the Hawks their best opportunity to win.

- Joe Johnson is becoming a more active leader. One of the critiques of the team in the past has been a lack of leadership on the part of Joe Johnson, the team's best player. It's not so much that Joe hasn't been a leader, he has just always been more of the lead-by-example type. Based on today, it appears he is making a much more concerted effort this year to step up vocally as well, as he exhorted his teammates to give more effort on several occasions. This is also, in my opinion, a very positive sign.

- Al Horford looks like a stud. Yes, I realize it was only one practice (and only 1/6th of it at that), but watching him play you can't help but be impressed. In the span of a couple minutes in one full court scrimmage drill, Horford spun on the baseline for a layup, knocked down a 15-foot jumper, and raced back on defense to block a lay-up attempt. It's very early, but count me as someone who thinks this guy can make a meaningful contribution to this team sooner rather than later.

- The team is taking precautions to avoid the injury bug of a year ago. I spoke to Coach Woodson after practice, and he talked about how this year the team is doing one practice a day instead of the two-a-days we've seen in years past. Basically, this is to keep the guys fresh and keep their bodies from breaking down. It will allow the guys to go hard for three or so hours, but then have the rest of the day to rest and recuperate before doing it again the next day. Another smart move by the coaching staff, if you ask me.

After practice I spoke with Acie Law about his first day on the job, and he was predictably excited. He seems pretty excited about the notion of pushing the pace, and if you've seen what he looks like with his shirt off, it's no surprise that conditioning is not one of his main concerns. Law is going to face an uphill battle for minutes out of the gate given his inexperience, but so far he looks comfortable on the court with the rest of his teammates, and that is a start.

Tyronn Lue talks with Acie Law

Josh Smith works on his free throw shooting

Salim Stoudamire works on staying loose

The Hawks had a light practice this morning in preparation for taking off for their last West Coast trip of the season. It won't be an easy one, with three teams on the menu who would make the Western Conference playoffs if the season ended today.

First up will be the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in Phoenix. The Hawks may catch a mini-break if Steve Nash remains out with a shoulder injury, but based on how Leandro Barbosa has played in his absence, I don't know how much that will really change. The Hawks will have to play their best basketball of the season to keep pace with the Suns, who have cooled just slightly since their 17-game winning streak was snapped last week.

I spoke to Mike Woodson today to get his thoughts on the road trip and a few other subjects as the team heads out for their last few games before the All-Star break. He seemed in good spirits, even though last night continued another in a long line of tough last-minute losses that have plagued this team over the past couple years.

Why do they keep happening? Who knows. I think it has something to do with the team's youth. I'm not making excuses, but something has to explain why these keep happening (though we aren't always on the losing side - witness Sunday's win at New Jersey).

Last night was the perfect example of the difference between a veteran squad and a young team. The Nets trailed by a point, and they got the ball to Vince Carter, who immediately drove to the basket and scored. Faced with the same situation, the Hawks were unable to get the ball to their top threat and failed as well to get to the rim. Hopefully, experiences like last night will hang with these players and when faced with similar situations in the future they will know to do things differently.

Strangely, the Hawks have played better on the road than at home this season, so perhaps this upcoming five-game trek will help cure some of what ails them.