[外電] Several Hawks forwards vie for 2 spots
Several Hawks forwards vie for 2 spots
Woodson sees lots of shared playing time
By SEKOU SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/05/06
A government numbers cruncher isn't needed to solve the Hawks' logjam
at the forward positions.
A pre-schooler could figure this one out.
There are two starting spots and no fewer than five players vying for
the jobs and rotation minutes. Hawks coach Mike Woodson insists that
who starts games is far less important than who finishes.
It's a sound theory but one hard to sell to first-, second- and
third-year NBA players focused on helping the Hawks rebound from
years of losing and establishing identities of their own.
That's why training camp is more like a month-long audition for many
of the players involved, namely third-year players Josh Smith and Josh
Childress, second-year players Marvin Williams and Esteban Batista
and rookies Shelden Williams and Solomon Jones.
"I know for me personally, that's my approach. I'm definitely treating
this as an open competition," Marvin Williams said. "Especially for
me, after not starting last year and trying to come back at another
level this year. This camp is just totally different to me, the vibe
is totally different. We're all competing at a different level than
a year ago.
"But we're all in this together, too. I want Josh to get better just
like I know he wants me to get better. And we're all here for Solomon
and Shelden. So it's a good feeling knowing that we're all in this
together."
Smith said he hasn't even wondered about who's going to start.
"It's not a matter of who does or does not start," he said, "it's
about what you do when you are out there on that floor."
Smith and Marvin Williams would appear to be the easy answers as the
starters at power forward and small forward, respectively. Based on
their performances last year, particularly during the latter stages
of the season, and the fact that they complement each other well,
playing them together makes the most sense.
With training camp just two days old, however, Woodson is taking his
time in making those decisions.
"There's no question both Josh and Marvin have earned the right to
play minutes this year based not only on what they did last season
but on the work they put in over the summer," Woodson said of his
young and talented tandem — both Smith and Williams are 6-foot-9,
more than 230 pounds and just 20 years old. "They worked their
[tails] off to put themselves in a position to help us. So I
absolutely think those two guys can start for this team. But I don't
think you give a starting job to a guy just to be giving it.
"That's why guys like Solomon and Shelden, and even a veteran like
Lorenzen Wright, have to earn big minutes on this team."
What is clear is that both Smith and Marvin Williams will be in line
for some of those heavy minutes at the forward spots. Shelden
Williams, Jones and Batista will have to battle for rotation minutes.
Childress, who can play as many as three different positions, is
actually slated to serve as the primary back up to Joe Johnson at
shooting guard. But if the Hawks decide to play with a smaller lineup, he'll be at small forward.
And it's that type of versatility that is both the beauty and the
curse of a roster filled with more "wings" than a bucket of chicken.
"I really think that's one of the great misconceptions about our
team," Childress said. "We do have a lot of guys who are what would
traditionally be considered forwards. But look at what everybody else
has. Everybody in the league is shifting toward that. I think it's a
pretty good thing for us. And once we put this thing together, [Hawks
general manager] Billy Knight is going to be known as a genius. So
people can say what they want to say, but all this competition is
only going to make us better."
資料來源
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