Lue could return by Saturday By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/23/06 Tyronn Lue's return to the Hawks' lineup could come as early as this weekend. Out since Feb. 7 with a sprained ligament in his right knee, the veteran point guard finally went full speed at practice during Wednesday's shootaround before the Hawks loss in Philadelphia. "I felt pretty good," said Lue, who has missed the Hawks last 20 games and said the earliest he could return would be for Sunday's game in Orlando. "There's still some uneasiness when I stop and cut and try and pull up for a jumper, but I feel like I'm close to being ready." He was placed on the active list before Wednesday's game but did not suit up. A decision on whether or not he'll suit up for Saturday night's game against Dallas at Philips Arena will be made just before game time. But there's no question the Hawks are in need of help, now that they are playing without rookie reserve guard Salim Stoudamire, whose season likely ended when he sprained a ligament in his elbow in a win over the Magic Sunday. The Hawks' backcourt rotation consists of starters Joe Johnson and Royal Ivey and backup small forward/guard Josh Childress, who logged 32 minutes against the 76ers and most of them at the point. "We're all in a situation where we have to help fill in where we're short right now," said Childress, who had his best game since returning from an ankle injury of his own last week with 17 points and 12 rebounds against the 76ers. "It's not ideal for any of us. But I think we're all capable of handling different responsibilities right now and that's one of the positives of having so many versatile players." Ivey, a starter in 51 of the 58 games he's played in this season, attempted a season-high 12 shots against the 76ers. He scored 12 points, had three assists and no turnovers in a season-high 30 minutes. The minute total is something he could top in the coming weeks, with Johnson likely to see more time off the ball without Stoudamire to bring in off the bench. "Whatever the team needs from me I'm ready," said Ivey, who has 13 assists and just one turnover in his last six games. "We've got to grind out these last 16 games no matter who we have available." Hook 'em Horns Anyone looking for Ivey Thursday night should have headed straight for the floor at the Georgia Dome, where the Texas Longhorns faced off against West Virginia in the NCAA Atlanta Regional. Ivey, a former Texas standout, has been talking up a possible Texas national championship double for weeks. The Longhorns won the BCS title in football with a Rose Bowl win over USC this year. "I'm really thinking this is our year," Ivey said before Thursday night's game was played. "The football and the basketball team have a lot in common, in that they've both been slept on nationally. People don't realize just how good they were until they had to face them. "I'm feeling good about the Horns right now." Return to sender The Hawks sent center James Lang back to their NBDL affiliate in Little Rock, as his second 10-day contract with the team expired. Lang, a 6-foot-10, 285-pound center who was brought in to add depth to the Hawks' thin frontcourt rotation, never played during his 20 days with the Hawks. 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0324hawks.html --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 125.228.3.70