Hawks ponder point: Rookie or vet By STEVE WYCHE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 06/20/06 As guards Rajon Rondo, Randy Foye and Marcus Williams staged a competitive workout for the Atlanta Hawks on Monday morning, the decision-makers for the team pondered whether backcourt improvement — particularly at point guard — should come through the draft, free agency or a trade. A look at the teams that made this season's playoffs would indicate it could be better for Atlanta, with the fifth pick in the June 28 draft, to acquire a point guard already groomed by another team, instead of nurturing another young player on an already-young team. Just four postseason participants — Phoenix (Steve Nash), Chicago (Kirk Hinrich), San Antonio (Tony Parker) and Milwaukee (T.J. Ford) — start point guards they drafted. Nash was somewhat of an exception because he was re-signed by the Suns in 2004 after playing six seasons in Dallas. Point guards acquired through free agency or trades guided the remaining 12 teams into the playoffs. So would the Hawks be better off making a play for Clippers free agent point guard Sam Cassell or former Atlanta point guard Jason Terry? Or should it draft Williams, Foye or Rondo and hope he could be as effective as last season's Rookie of the Year Chris Paul, whose New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets failed to get into the postseason? "We're going to get a young player, but is that young player ready to play? Probably not," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Monday. "We've got enough young guys. We could better ourselves as well by trying to look at some of the veteran point guards and veteran bigs that are out there." Other than Cassell and Terry, Mike James and Speedy Claxton are pending free agent point guards. Of those who played point guard for Atlanta last season, Joe Johnson is better suited to play shooting guard, and Tyronn Lue and Royal Ivey are more effective off the bench. That is why the Hawks have been so forthcoming about the need to address the point guard position. Williams (Connecticut) is pegged by most mock drafts to be the first point guard chosen. Foye, who played at Villanova, is a combination guard like the Hawks' Johnson and Salim Stoudamire. Kentucky's Rondo is a distributor, much like Williams, but less highly regarded. All said they did their homework on the Hawks before stepping on the practice court at Philips Arena. "You've got to look at the situation when you're coming to a team like this," Williams said. "They've got a lot of young players, some great wings. I think they just need someone to get them the ball in the right places, [a player who] could develop with the franchise." The fifth pick, the third pick in the second round (33rd overall) and/or free agent Al Harrington also could give the Hawks trade or sign-and-trade options for a point guard who is under contract. Beefing up the interior also is a priority. Nabbing a bigger body, like Duke's Shelden Williams, might seem more appealing than a point guard if team officials think the talent and value is more in line with their lofty pick. Plus, if the team trades or fails to re-sign Harrington, the second-leading scorer (18.6 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (6.9 average), it must replace him. The Hawks will work out Bradley's rising center, Patrick O'Bryant, on Friday. He is projected as a top-10 selection. Atlanta worked out big men Solomon Jones (South Florida) and Mohamed Kone (Valparaiso) on Monday. Justin Williams (Wyoming) and Yemi Nicholson (Denver) will work against O'Bryant on Friday. 资料来源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0620hawks.html --

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