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".

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...

Another day of practice, and another three-plus hour marathon for the Hawks. I saw most of the same stuff today as I saw on Tuesday, with more up-tempo work to get the team accustomed to that style of play.

Continuing on another thread from yesterday, Joe Johnson was once again very vocal. I spoke with him after practice about increasing his leadership within the team, and he definitely sounds like someone who is intent on asserting himself within the locker room for the coming season.

In watching them run today, I saw another thing that interested me: Josh Smith shooting (and making) a turnaround jumper from the baseline. I don't know that I've seen him take (or make) many of those in his career, and I know he spent his summer working out with Hakeen Olajuwon on post moves, so perhaps this is a product of that. Either way, a turnaround J would be a lethal addition to Smoove's offensive repertoire, as there is pretty much no one in the league who would be able to block it.

We'll have to keep an eye on it as the preseason progresses...

 

Catching their breath between drills

Shelden Williams shows off his free throw shooting touch

Hawks video coordinator John Beckett looks on with Tyrone Hill

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

I for one can't wait. Everyone appears to be reasonably healthy, and based on what the team has been up to over the past month or so, it seems as if everyone on the team is aware of what is at stake this season.

For those who missed Sekou Smith's piece about it in the AJC, nearly every player on the Hawks roster has been back in Atlanta for nearly a month, voluntarily cutting their vacation short to put in work with their teammates in hopes of getting into game shape early and building the kind of chemistry that is important for any team, but especially so for a team as young as the Hawks.

I have been down to the court to see them in action some, and there are definitely some spirited games going on. I got a few photos, but my camera doesn't do so well with flash indoors, so they are a little grainy.

One thing that is interesting is that, in addition to the pickup games they've been playing down at the practice court, they've also been working out together at the track at Georgia Tech doing endurance and conditioning workouts to get themselves in better shape for the start of camp.

How will all this extra work pay off? We'll start to see the fruits of their labor in just a few days...

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.

If you've been reading Sekou Smith's articles in the AJC lately, you know he has been checking in with some of the Hawks during the offseason to see what they have been up to (so far he's interviewed Josh Smith and Josh Childress). It's interesting reading for sure, so make sure to check it out.

Both the Joshes have been busy this summer, but they aren't the only Hawks who've been traveling around. Marvin Williams is currently in Hong Kong as part of NBA Madness, an offshoot of the popular Basketball Without Borders program the NBA does during the summer.

From the press release:

"NBA Madness Hong Kong tipped off today with an opening ceremony took place at Citiplaza in Tai Koo Shing, Hong Kong.

Joined by local celebrities Bosco Wong and Charles Szeto, the opening ceremony started with the energetic dance performance of Silver Dancers from the 2007 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. The 2 celebrities also had a great time learning some NBA dance steps from the Silver Dancers. Thunder from the Golden State Warriors also staged a dunking show with the two celebrities.

Marvin Williams, a rising star of the Atlanta Hawks, received warm welcome by fans at Citiplaza while he encourages the NBA fans to join him in NBA Madness for the rest of the week. He also shared his experience in the NBA with the fans. DHL once again delivered the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the NBA Madness venue and the trophy was unveiled publicly for the first time in Hong Kong by Marvin. After the ceremony, Marvin played the free throw conga with the two celebrities and a top HKBA player and he knocked them all out!"

Marvin talks to the press at NBA Madness

Posing with the Spurs Silver Dancers and Thunder, the Warriors mascot

 

The Hawks have received many plaudits for their draft haul so far, especially given the way Al Horford and Acie Law performed during summer league play at the Rocky Mountain Revue.

Well, it turns out the members of the press aren't the only ones singing the praises of our incoming Hawks rookies. In a survery conducted during the NBA photo shoot for the 2007 draft class, both Horford and Law received high marks from their brethren.

In particular, Horford was voted the most ready to contribute, getting 29.5% of the votes (Law was fourth, with 9.1%), while Law finished second in the best playmaker category, getting 26.2% (Memphis' Mike Conley was rated #1 with 45.2%). It's a pretty cool little survey, I suggest checking it out.

Also, towards the end, the question of which NBA player do you look most forward to playing against, the answer is (of course) Kobe - but Josh Smith snuck in there with a vote as well, which is pretty cool (then again, so did Quentin Ross and JJ Redick, so maybe it's meaningless).

Here are some pictures from the photo shoot. Judging from the pictures, big Al looks happy to be back with his Gator boys...

Gator Boys in their new unis

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

 

The Hawks held their annual Spring charity event on Saturday night, the aptly-titled "Hawks Bowl-n-Ball" at Ten Pin Alley at Atlantic Station. It was a fun time for all who were there, as fans got to meet and mingle with all of the Hawks players, coaches, and front-office staff during a night of bowling, pool, and cards, all in the name of raising money for the Hawks Foundation. Here are some pictures from the evening, courtesy of Colby Kidd.

I don't know if all NBA players are like this, but the Hawks love to bowl. Many of them own their own balls, and Marvin (pictured right) apparently routinely breaks 200. I am definitely recruiting him to join my league the next time I play.

Happy Monday morning out there Hawks fans! Ok, I'm not really that chipper a person, but just trying to get this week started on the right foot. Tough loss last night to the Suns at Philips, but all in all, it wasn't a bad weekend for the Hawks. The team got a big win Friday against the Rockets, winning a close game against a very good team and gaining a crucial victory during this brutal stretch. As I said last week, I honestly feel like if we could go 1-3 against the West on the home stand and then grab another 1-3 on this upcoming three-game road trip, then we are still alive.

the Houston win. What I liked the most about this game was how the Hawks never built a big lead or let Houston take one. It's rare, especially for a young team like Atlanta, to see us play so consistently for 48 minutes. It's no surprise to see us getting ahead or behind by double digits (and then losing that lead or coming back) because of how prone we are to streaks. Yet Friday we managed to beat the Rockets, a terrific team and potential title contender if they get Yao back healthy, without ever leading by more than five or six until free throws late in the game.

Sunday against Phoenix...what can you say? The Suns are one of the two teams considered most likely to take home the title this season, and the Hawks gave them all they could handle the entire game. Twice, the Hawks rebounded to take the lead when trailing by 13+ points, which is something to be proud of. We didn't win the game, and we couldn't stop Amare Stoudemire (man, that guy is ridiculous), but I am happy about the way the guys battled back and never let it get out of hand, even though it appeared it might at several different junctures.

What can you say about the Suns? They are 13-0 on the road against the East, and if they beat Indy on Tuesday and Philly on Wednesday, they will become the first team in NBA history to win all their road games against the opposing conference. So, all things considered, it sucks that we lost, but clearly Phoenix is on a serious roll this year - at least we got a split!

Moving on, lets give out a couple of extra kudos for individual efforts. First of all, welcome to the family, Anthony Johnson. AJ had 17 points in his Hawks debut, including three-of-four from long-range. I don't expect to see that every single night, but clearly performances like that one will warm the Hawks community to him very quickly.

Also, props to Marvin Williams, who put up big numbers in both games over the weekend, popping for 20 against the Rockets and 23 more (with 10 boards) against Phoenix. Included in that 23 was a ridiculous moonbeam from behind the rim at the third-period buzzer, the kind of shot you take in HORSE but rarely ever see in game action. Marv hit a career-high 10 fgs against Phoenix - now if we can just get him to take like one big step back and turn those long twos into threes, then you'll see his scoring average jump significantly!

Here are some photos from the weekend for your viewing pleasure, courtesy as always of Hawks ace photographer Scott Cunningham.  

First and foremost, I want to give special commendation to Hawks C Zaza Pachulia, who crammed the game of his life into a single half, pretty much single-handedly rallying the team from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to get the team back to even entering the 4th. Zaza, scoreless at halftime, had 15 points in the third and finished the game with 23 in a losing effort. He was in attack mode the whole half, getting to the rack again and again for layups and timely putbacks.

Unfortunately, Manu Ginobili struck again, as he had so many times before in this game, and soon the Hawks were back down again. Ginobili was unstoppable in this game, particularly in the second quarter, when he scored a ridiculous 24 straight points for the Spurs. Begrudgingly I will give him credit for his efforts, even though I think he travels more than any player this side of Allen Iverson, and could have been whistled for it five or six times. Also, it continues to amaze me that in the NBA, you can just flail your body into the lane and get a foul call almost every time - though when I think about it, it just makes me wish we did it more often. I mean, if you can't beat em, join em, right?

Here is a photo gallery from the game - I know moral victories are not what we want to get around here, and I am disappointed by the loss, but I still feel like the team made some progress in showing enough backbone to comeback the way they did. Still though, it's time to start turning moral victories into actual ones.

In other news, today is the trading deadline. If anything happens around here, we will let you know. Obviously there have been some rumors, and we know what the team is in need of, but as of now there are no deals that I am aware of.

Check back as the day goes, and we'll see if anything changes.

The game is over, and the West has won. Bully for them. I wouldn't say this game stood out in any particular way, except for getting to see Joe play, which was the highlight for me. JJ ended up playing the entire fourth quarter, which was exciting. He finished the game with 12 points, third-best on the Eastern Conference team, which though it doesn't mean a whole lot I think it helps him continue to edge his way into the American basketball conscious.

I joined the fray to talk to him after the game, and to be honest, he said all the things you'd expect him to say: he was happy to be here, he enjoyed being in the game and spending time with the other players over the course of the weekend, etc. But I wanted to ask him one thing, and so I did. I wanted to know about his dunk.

I thought his response was pretty funny. Speaking of funny, here is the interview I did earlier this evening with Jimmy Kimmel.

Well, that about wraps it up for me from Vegas. I had a blast, I hope you all enjoyed reading along with me as well. And, wouldn't you know it, I actually have a ticket into a party tonight after all, courtesy of Hawks CMO Lou DePaoli, a stand-up guy if there ever was one. Everything works out in the end! Yay Vegas!

I leave you with a few more pics from tonight, mostly of a few pre-game shots and some post-game interview shots. If I am able to chat up any celebrities (please let it be Chappelle!) later tonight, I will post something about it tomorrow.

Good night!

Louis Gossett, Jr!

Sir Charles signs something for Greg Anthony's son (I assume)

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goldman addresses the media. It's good to be the king.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith listens in to questions asked to Dwyane Wade before probably shouting something to someone

D-Wade had a quiet night with 10 points and 3 assists

Joe talks to the media after the game

Wrapping up for Saturday night in Las Vegas...

The All-Star Saturday night festivities were really fun to see live for the first time ever. The dunk contest was very entertaining and I appreciated the contestants creativity, but it still feels like the show has run it's course.

Here are all the interviews I promised you from earlier today:

The dunk contest is about to begin. I will be honest, I can't say I'm all that excited (please don't fine me NBA!). It was awesome the year Josh Smith won it, but last year left such a bad taste in my mouth - I just pray whoever wins tonight is able to execute the first time. I will settle for the second time, maybe even the third. But after the, say, 11th attempt, it's time to say goodnight.

My guess is the judging will be very tight tonight, seeing as the five judges are arguably the best dunkers of all time: Dr. J, Dominique, Dominique-ripper-offer Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant.

Here is a better picture of the race from earlier tonight, courtesy of NBAE/Getty Images:

That was out-standing. Charles Barkley could be a stand-up comic, easily. Surprisingly, Sir Charles beat Dick Bavetta in the three-and-a-half court lengths race, turning around and backpedaling across the finish line to prove his dominance (and toppling over on his rear in the process). Barkley was so gassed at the end, he couldn't even talk to TNT's Ernie Johnson, ceding the mic to Bavetta, who seemed quite capable of winning a two-of-three competition.

It was hysterical. I can only hope this turns into an annual thing, where Barkley takes on America's elderly community in a variety of challenges. The event was all in good fun, as summed up by the Round Mound of Rebound himself, who stated before the race: "I have nothing but love for old people. I hope to be one of them some day."

There will be much better photography of the event later on, but from my seat up in the nosebleeds (can you believe Hawks.com doesn't get a front-row seat with ESPN.com?), this is the best I can do.

The three-point contest is coming up, which is by far my favorite part of the evening in a typical year. We definitely have to get Joe to do this sometime soon, I think he could be a dark-horse candidate.

Barkley and Bavetta toe the starting line - you can see Charles about to false start

Barkley's ego may remain unbruised, but I think his tailbone may need some ice...

Today was a good time. I overcame a credential crisis to make it to the practice session earlier, where I got a chance to talk to Joe Johnson about making the All-Star team, which I promised I would get to you. Well, I am a man of my word, so here it is. I don't know if you can tell from listening to it because Joe is so understated, but he really seems excited to be here.

The Eastern Conference practiced from 11:00 - 11:45, and following that they were available for interviews. I don't think I've seen Joe talk to this many people in his life, but he handled it pretty well.

The media crush was ridiculous, with everyone clamoring to talk to the NBA's cream of the crop. I used the opportunity to get some feedback from some of the guys about Joe's performance this year, in particular some of his former co-workers in Phoenix. I also got a chance to talk to TNT's Kenny Smith (a former Hawk) about Johnson, as the TNT crew all left JJ off their picks for the Eastern Conference squad originally. I won't say I held his feet to the fire too bad, but I at least asked him to explain himself. I suppose I will let it slide.

I will post all of those interviews shortly. But right now I have to stop salivating over the computer - Charles Barkley is about to race Dick Bavetta. If you haven't been following this, it is really one of the funniest things ever. Basically, Barkley claimed on a TNT broadcast that no 67-year old man could ever beat him in a race, and now we are about to find out if that is true or not. I can't imagine Barkley is in shape enough to beat Bavetta (I'm not even sure he is in shape to finish the race period), but he is a fierce competitor, and who knows what he is capable of when his adrenaline is pumping.

Back with more in a bit, unless I have passed out on the floor from laughter.

The Hawks dropped a tough one at home last night, losing 90-83 to the Lakers. Joe Johnson and Kobe Bryant staged a duel of sorts in the 4th quarter, and each finished with 27 points, but the Mamba's Lakers came away with the road win, as once again our Hawks just couldn't get over the hump. I give them credit for hanging tough on a night when the shots weren't falling, but missed opportunities kept the home team from winning their second game in two days.

Here are some photos from the game, courtesy of Hawks photog extraordinaire Scott Cunningham.

I will be back with more later to discuss the other event that went on last night, Hawks Blog Night.