Atlanta
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Hawks have been working out Eddie Griffin, the troubled former Rocket and Net.
Griffin was the seventh overall pick of the Nets in 2001 but was immediately traded to Houston for the draft rights to Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong. At the time, Houston was thought to be the big winner in the trade, but today, New Jersey unquestionably came out on top, with two starters and one Olympian on their roster. Plus, after Houston suspended Griffin indefinitely last season after a variety of problems, he became a free agent, and signed with the Nets, an ironic twist that can only happen in the NBA. He never played for the Nets before being shunted out of there as well.
He's been in various rehabilitation centers and is trying to get his life back together. There's no doubt that this is a risk but there's also no doubt he has talent.
The only knock on his game, back when he was still playing, was that he would tend to drift out to the three point line far more often than necessary, rather than bang it up inside. With that in mind, it's a fair question to ask if Antoine Walker would really be the best role model for him. How many power forwards does one team need to camp out behind the arc?
TEAM NOTES
Sunday, Oct. 10 - FREE Open Practice!Get an up-close and personal look at your Atlanta Hawks at an exclusive Open Practice on Sunday, Oct. 10 at Philips Arena. This is your first chance to preview the team -- including Al Harrington, three-time All-Star Antoine Walker and former Georgia Tech star Kenny Anderson -- led by new Head Coach Mike Woodson! Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. and the event is FREE and open to the public.
Our own Patrick J. Austin ofHoopsworld.comwrites: The Hawks have been working out a number of players to help fill out the roster. So far, the most notable name is former Houston Rocket forward, Eddie Griffin.
Our own Patrick J. Austin ofHoopsworld.comalso writes: This season, the NBA has decided to shake things up by creating three divisions for each conference, rather than the usual two division format. The Hawks are now in the new Southeast division along with the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. As you can see, our division isn't exactly a powerhouse. From those teams, only the Heat finished above .500 and made the playoffs.Now, let's take a look at what each club has done this offseason, and who will make things difficult for the Hawks.
Ross Siler ofThe LA Daily Newswrites: [Eddie] Griffin worked out in Houston on Thursday for Atlanta Hawks general manager Billy Knight and told a television station there that he has received interest from Atlanta, Miami, Minnesota and the Lakers.Lucas said Griffin is ready to move on with his life.
Michael Lee ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionwrites: If Al Harrington doesn't become a star in Atlanta, he can't blame his coach for not giving him more minutes or enough scoring opportunities. If Harrington does become a star for the Hawks, it will be because he was finally given what he never received in six seasons with the Indiana Pacers: a starting job and the pressure to produce... The Hawks have provided Harrington the platform to follow the paths of Tracy McGrady and his best friend and former teammate, Jermaine O'Neal — preps-to-pros stars who gained All-Star status upon departing their original teams. General manager Billy Knight believes that it is within Harrington's grasp.
Tom Sorensen ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Vick is a sensational athlete with incredible moves and very good Nike commercials. Another Atlanta star, Dominique Wilkins, also was an athlete with moves. At least for now, Vick has as much in common with Dominque, the former Hawks star, as he does with Jordan. 'Nique was entertaining and he helped his team more than he hurt it. But he couldn't carry the Hawks. He didn't have the strength or the skills to make them better than they were supposed to be. 'Nique jumped better than Jordan. But no matter how far he played above the rim, Wilkins was never close to being one of the NBA's best.
Ira Winderman ofThe South Florida Sun-Sentinelwrites: Kenny Anderson's shift to the Hawks is as much a homecoming as anything else for the free-agent point guard.Also on Atlanta's roster are two teammates from Anderson's time in Boston (Antoine Walker and Tony Delk), a teammate from his time in Indiana (Al Harrington) and a former Georgia Tech teammate (Jon Barry).