Atlanta
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Given that the draft pick they received from the Celtics as part of the exchange for Antoine Walker at last week's trade deadline is lottery-protected, and given that the Hawks desperately need a top-flight rookie in June, it would seem that the more losses the merrier, as that gets them better chances in the draft. You wouldn't be able to tell that by the way the Hawks are playing. Despite being short-handed and overmatched, the Hawks stayed close for their two weekend games, playing with a lot of passion. Al Harrington left Indiana because he wanted to be the man. Someone should have told him to be careful what he wished for.
In Friday's 102-101loss to the Blazers, Harrington collected a team-high 25 points on exceptional 10-of-21 shooting. He is unquestionably the best player on one the worst teams in the league. He wanted minutes? He's got minutes. He wanted to play power forward? With Walker back in Boston, he is now playing power forward, and small forward, and pretty much any position he wants.
In last night's 111-104loss to the Clippers, Harrington again came through with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, but he didn't lead the Hawks; that honor fell to Tyronn Lue, who shot a sizzling 11-of-16 to notch 24 points to go with his 7 assists. Despite the performances of those two Hawks, it was perimeter defense that crushed the Hawks this time as LA's Corey Maggette and Bobby Simmons combined for 49 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 8 assists.
In the silver lining department, the Hawks did have an advantage in points in the paint.
What all these things mean is that Harrington is indeed a quality player and a good long-term building block for the Hawks. And they've got some youth around him now that just needs to continue to learn the intricacies of the defense at the NBA level.
Getting the first overall draft pick wouldn't hurt either.
Meanwhile, it looks like the buyout agreement with Gary Payton has been reached and he should he placed on waivers today.
NEXT GAME
The Hawks (10-44, fifth in the Southeast) are now 0-5 in this latest Western Conference road trip, which doesn't end for another two games. Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 1st, they visit Denver to take on George Karl's Nuggets (27-29, third in the Northwest). That game starts at 9:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on FSO and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
The Atlanta Hawks are introducing a series of Saturday Basketball Clinicsto be held in the Hawks practice facility at Philips Arena. The clinics will be offered on Sat., February 12th, 19th, and 26th from 9 a.m. - noon with each camp being position or skill specific. Click here to learn more and sign up!
INJURY UPDATE
Kevin Willis(back) got thrown on the injured list, joiningTony Delk(hand) andDonta Smith(knee).Michael Stewart(knee) is also apparently on the injured list.
Steve Bulpett ofThe Boston Heraldwrites: Gary Payton should be placed on waivers today by Atlanta and, assuming he clears, the point guard is leaning toward a return to the Celtics."We've reached an agreement with the Hawks, and things should be in place no later than early (today)," said Payton's agent, Aaron Goodwin. "It's just going to be a matter of getting the paperwork approved by the league."
The Associated press writes inAccess North Georgia: Tyronn Lue scored a season-high 24 points and Al Harrington added 23 for the Hawks, who have lost eight straight and haven't won on the road since beating the defending champion Pistons 88-72 on Dec. 10.They have allowed 100 or more points in nine straight games, their longest such streak since a 14-game stretch from Feb.24-March 9, 1993.
Sekou Smith ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionwrites: In the post-Antoine Walker era, Hawks games have turned into track meets — open tryouts, if you will, for all those players who stood around and watched Walker work on offense during his 53 games with the team.Sunday's 111-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers showed, among other things, that Boris Diaw can and will shoot a 15-footer or drive aggressively to the basket when there is an opening. Josh Smith and Josh Childress are more than capable of getting shots in the Hawks' half-court offense, and Al Harrington makes a pretty good conductor when he's asked to fill that role.