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Hawks BasketBlog
Competition Heats Up For Final Summer League Roster Spots
Posted by:
Micah Hart on
July 12, 2007 at
12:33AM AFT
It is the middle of the NBA off-season, but the Hawks practice court is bustling with activity this week as the Summer League team works out in preparation for the Rocky Mountain Revue. The first round of cuts was made yesterday, leaving 17 names on the roster that will most likely be trimmed to 12 or 13 before the team departs for Salt Lake City tomorrow. Draft picks Al Horford and Acie Law IV are getting used to the NBA style of play, and to the slight variation of rules. "The shot clock definitely, and we have more plays here now." said Horford, "It's just a matter of time of getting used to it." Law agreed that his biggest challenge would be "getting used to the speed of the game, making that adjustment as a point guard." Along with the draft picks and returning second-year players Shelden Williams and Solomon Jones, there are many recognizable names among those battling make the trip west... Guards Jarrius Jackson (19.9 ppg in 2006-'07) from Texas Tech and Derek Raivio (18 ppg, 96% from the foul line) from Gonzaga top the list of undrafted players that wrapped up their college careers this past spring. There are also a number of players coming off of successful seasons overseas this past year. Teddy Gipson, a former college teammate of Joe Johnson's at Arkansas, scored over 14 points per game in Germany, while Brion Rush (Grambling State, 2003-'06) scored 20.1 ppg in Italy. The only player with NBA experience other than Shelden and Solo that is participating in camp this week is Devin Green, who played 27 games for the Lakers in 1006-'07 before splitting time in the D-League and overseas this past year. The current roster also features the top two finishers from the State Farm Slam Dunk Contest that was held here in Atlanta as part of Final Four weekend this past season, and both have local ties. Mario West, the dunk champion from Douglasville, Ga., and Brent Petway, the runner-up from McDonough, Ga., were two of five players invited by the Harlem Globetrotters to try out for their team this fall. West played here in Atlanta for Georgia Tech last season, while Petway played for Michigan.
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