Grundy plays like he belongs By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/31/06 Anthony Grundy never intended to be a symbol. All he wanted was an opportunity. A chance to show that he belonged, a chance to show that his hard work hadn't been in vain. But in a little over 15 minutes in Wednesday night's win over Indiana, the Hawks' recent NBDL call-up showed his teammates (he was with the team in summer league and training camp) what it means to seize the moment. "I don't care if it's one minute, five minutes or 10 minutes," Grundy said. "You have to go out there and give energy, be a director and do whatever your team needs you to do. You have to do something special." Grundy's brief but significant contribution — he scored six points, grabbed three rebounds and had a steal in early relief of Hawks co-captain Joe Johnson — helped the Hawks snap a five-game losing streak. It also was an example of what can be done when a game is attacked with the urgency Hawks coach Mike Woodson has preached all season. "For a guy to come in and not exactly know what we're doing, he played well," said Woodson, whose team faces the surging New Jersey Nets Friday night at Philips Arena. "Since camp, we made some changes to our offense and defense, and we put in a lot of offensive sets. So he was quick to pick things up, and that didn't hurt him." Neither did the flashbacks of where he's been since leaving North Carolina State four years ago. Stints in pro leagues in Germany his first two years out of school and in Israel last year led him to the Hawks last summer. When he didn't make the cut, Grundy opted for the NBDL, where he starred for the Roanoke Dazzle. That's also where he developed his hunger for the opportunity he has now. "He's never been up here [for the regular season], never had anything guaranteed in this league," Hawks co-captain Al Harrington said. "So he's always going to be fighting like a dog for every little nook and cranny, every little crumb on the table. You have to admire that. Because that's a guy that respects the game. He knows what it's all about. "If it was up to him, he'd knock somebody's head off their shoulders to stay in the game, and not everybody is willing to lay it on the line like that. He's taking his experience and using it to his advantage right now. And to me, you can never knock another man's hustle." Even while he was tearing up the D-League competition, leading the league in scoring with 23.2 points per game, Grundy kept an eye on the Hawks. He thought there might be a chance for his return when veteran point guard Tyronn Lue went down with a sprained knee ligament in February. Lue is scheduled to return tonight. When rookie guard Salim Stoudamire was lost for the remainder of the season two weeks ago with a sprained elbow, he knew there was an opening. When the call came, he knew he was ready. "Coming from a league where I was doing this and doing that doesn't matter," Grundy said. "You learn to take a back seat. But you still have to do something special to get the minutes on the floor. You do that and slowly but surely you can work to become a solid player in this league." 直得一看的文章。 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0331hawks.html --

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