Hawks happy to have Claxton By ANDRE' L. SHANNON The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 07/13/06 It wasn't fast. It took a while to get the point. But in the end it will be Speedy. Speedy Claxton, that is. On Wednesday the Hawks announced the anticipated signing of the free-agent guard, whose job it will be to bring floor leadership to the young team. "We feel it's a good day for us," general manager Billy Knight, said. "When you look at our team, everyone can see we're a very young group of guys and we're strong in the wing player position. We have Tyronn Lue under contract, but we felt we needed a veteran point guard to run our team." Coach Mike Woodson agreed. "... No disrespect to the point guards who came out in the draft this year, but I felt we needed a veteran point guard for this team," Woodson said. A first-round pick by Philadelphia in 2000, Claxton is already familiar with Woodson's coaching style. Woodson was an assistant with the 76ers for three years. "I knew what kind of young man he was and what kind of game he brings to the table" Woodson said. "I think he truly fits into the style of play that we want to play." Woodson described the 5-foot-11 Claxton as the type who can push the ball up the floor and extend the defense by applying pressure. "We wanted a point guard that could do what we needed him to do," Knight said. "We feel with Speedy we handled that issue." Claxton's addition means Joe Johnson can finally play his natural position, shooting guard. Last season the Hawks used Johnson, Royal Ivey and other inexperienced players to fill the void at point guard. "Last year we rode Joe so much on both ends of the floor that we kind of wore him down," Woodson said. "His natural position is a two. ... This will free him up to play his natural position, playing alongside Speedy." Johnson, who averaged 40 minutes per game last season, welcomes Claxton's presence. "Having Speedy will allow me to score a lot more," he said. "With the two of us in the backcourt it's just going to make our team even better." The backcourt will feature a starting (Claxton) and reserve guard (Lue) with championship experience and Johnson, who played in the Western Conference finals with Phoenix. Claxton, who played with the New Orleans Hornets last season, signed a reported four-year deal worth an estimated $25 million. He will receive about $6.2 million per season. The five-year veteran out of Hofstra will play for his fifth different NBA team. Last year was one of his most effective years as a professional. He played in 71 games, the most of his career. He's missed games each season because of injury, including his entire rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in practice. Last season Claxton averaged 12.3 points, 4.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds with New Orleans, backing up NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Paul. Claxton averaged 28.4 minutes and missed 11 games with minor ankle, knee and toe injuries. As a starter, much will be expected of him. "I'm up for the challenge," Claxton said. "This is why I came here because it was a challenge for me. Hopefully I can accept it and conquer it." The team also announced the signing of second-round draft pick Solomon Jones. The 6-10 forward from the University of South Florida averaged 13.2 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds as a senior. The Hawks did not disclose the details of the contract. 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0713claxton.html --

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