Now Atlanta has 15 players left on the current roster. (Click Here to View)

Jeff Teague insists that he will be ready for Tuesday night’s season opener in New Jersey (big relief), but with Kirk Hinrich slated to begin the season in street clothes the Hawks appear to be focused on stockpiling some depth in the backcourt. They signed Jannero Pargo and Willie Green last week and still have Jerry Stackhouse and Donald Sloan on the roster as reserves.

The name that is most surprising still on the roster is Ivan Johnson. Johnson attended the Hawks “mini-camp” this past summer after the draft, and impressed the coaching staff with his energy and physique. He didn’t back down when he arrived at Training Camp and was very impressive in both preseason games against the Bobcats.

There are no guarantees that the Hawks are done making roster moves at this point, so stay tuned to Hawks.com for all of the latest updates.

The big news of the day was the signing/arrival of veteran point-guard Jannero Pargo. If Tuesday is any indication, Pargo looks to be a more accurate spot up shooter than the other PG’s that are currently on the roster. After practice a lot of the perimeter players go through a shooting drill where you have to hit 3-0f-5 from five different spots around the 3-point arc. If you fail from any spot then you move to the back of the line and rebound. Pargo made it all the way around on his first try.

(NOTE: Marvin Williams was the first to make it all the way around today, and a couple of the coaches were mentioning a recent day when Marvin hit 27 in a row!)

It remains to be seen if Pargo is in fact the lead candidate for the back-up point guard role, but he does have a few things going for him.
1) As mentioned before, his shot looks good.
2) He has seven years of pro basketball experience as a point guard.
3) He is boys with Joe Johnson. The two played one year together at Arkansas and worked out in Miami together over the summer.

Pargo is also familiar with Kirk Hinrich, who he played with for at least part of four different seasons (2003-06, 2009-10) with the Chicago Bulls.

SPEAKING OF HINRICH…
He shot with Pargo in a few drills after practice and he was pretty much on fire. We spoke with him briefly about his recovering and he said things are progressing. He is building up strength in his shoulder and will see his specialist in Chicago on January 3, when the team plays the Bulls. he is hoping that he can get clearance for all “non-contact” activity at that point.

Practice ended with the team spreading out to all six baskets to shoot free throws. Then coach had each player shoot one free throw with push ups on the line as punishment for a miss. The guys hit 14 of their 17 shots, a good showing with coaches and teammates occasionally heckling from a close proximity. Then it was the coaches turn. They have done this multiple times before, and I must say, today was the poorest showing from the coaches… much to the delight of the players.

The display brought an upbeat end to the practice, which was certainly by design. Tomorrow will mark seven stright days of practice, with a heavy focus on offensive and defensive schemes and simple conditioning. All of the early indications are that chemistry is good with this group and everyone is looking forward to lacing ‘em up for some live action.

Click Here to check out Coach Drew’s thoughts on how things are progressing in camp:

Today was the first practice for Vladimir Radmanovic with the Hawks. Vladi did not play overseas during the offseason, so he hasn’t seen any game action since the Warriors wrapped up their regular season last April. He also did not play much pick up over the past few months, opting instead to work out with a personal coach in Serbia. It may take a week or so for Radmanovic to get his basketball legs under him, but Coach Drew was immediately impressed with what he saw on the court.

“I really like what I see,” Drew said. “Every shot he takes, it looks like it is going to go in. He’s got a really good stroke from the perimeter and its just a matter of him getting acclimated to what we do. He’s trying to learn a couple of positions and you can tell he’s doing a lot of thinking.”

Radmanovic agreed that he is taking in a lot at once considering he didn’t arrive in camp until Day 4, but he is going to take some extra steps to get caught up.

“It’s all about figuring out the offense and defensive principles,” Vladi commented after Tuesday’s morning session. “I’ll try to come in early and workout with some of the rookies and try to pick it up as soon as I can because we don’t have much time.”

HERE AND THERE…

• Kirk Hinrich, who is rehabbing his shoulder after having surgery this fall, was seen participating in shooting drills today after practice.
• Pape Sy has been ten times more assertive in his second training camp then he was last season as a rookie.
  “Yeah, I feel comfortable,” Pape said at Monday’s Media Day. “I’m glad to be back here. I feel like I’m learning really fast now. Actually ready to be on the court to try and help the team and try and win games. I’m feeling really ready this year and I’m ready to play.”
  With Hinrich out, Pape has been running point for the second unit. His size, athleticism and speed give Coach Drew a different look at the position.
• Joe and Al looked especially sharp in today’s scrimmage.
• Jerry Stackhouse continues to shoot well in camp, knocking down a pair of mid-range jumpers in the scrimmage.
• Tracy McGrady did not participate in the early session on Tuesday.

Check out a video of Brad talking with HoopsWorld last May:

“He fits that mold,” said Coach Drew the day after news broke of the signing. “He’s a 4 that can really stretch the defense. We did a lot of homework on him. Certainly when you have a 4 that can go out to the 3-point line, it gives you an added weapon. With Joe’s ability to force double-teams to focus on him, having that 4 that can go out there and stretch it… it just gives you an added weapon.”

Joe’s ability to draw a double-team is well documented, but T-Mac should also demand that type of attention with the second unit because of the match-up problems he creates. Add in the fact that the Hawks will start a point guard that should be able to regularly beat his man off the dribble (Jeff Teague) for the first time in almost a decade and a knock down shooter at the 4-spot is definitely a dangerous weapon.

It is true that you never know how pieces will mesh into a system until you get out on the court and start playing some games… but on paper Radmanovic looks like a solid addition for Atlanta.

If all goes well, it could be extremely high.

The obvious benefit of adding veterans to the roster is just their presence in the locker room and their leadership on and off the court. The Hawks have added veterans in the past (Joe Smith, etc) but none of them have been as accomplished as T-Mac or Stack, and none of them have been as proactive in taking the time to pull guys to the side and offer advice.

Coach Drew noticed right away that guys were receptive.

“I’ve already started to see, not only Stack but Tracy as well, pull those young guys to the side and just kind of talk to ‘em and tell them how to do certain things and position on the floor, and reads, and that whole thing.”

Even before training camp started, Stackhouse, who is an regular participant in pick up games at Philips Arena during most offseasons, was taking the time to give Teague tips on guarding players that are bigger than him. Both Stack and T-Mac are skilled in offering tips and advice without sounding condescending or disrespectful. Of course, their track record greatly enhances their credibility.

“Two big-time superstars,” Marvin commented. “You know, growing up as a kid we watched those guys pretty much dominate the league. To have those two guys as teammates, I’m most definitely excited to learn some things from them.”

Keith Benson said he had a pair of T-Mac’s shoes when he was younger and watched Stack a lot as he grew up in Detroit.

Before we get too far into the value of these guys as leaders, let’s not forget that they are looking solid in scrimmages too. They aren’t in camp as coaches and feel that they have plenty to offer the Hawks this season.

T-Mac has looked good so far in training camp. Specifically, he has been shooting the ball extremely well.

“It’s just like riding a bike,” McGrady commented. “It’s just repetition… and I’ve been in the gym all summer.”

The two-time All-NBA first team selection has been hampered by injuries in recent years, and he feels like he will surprise a lot of people now that he is feeling better.

“I’m a lot healthier than I was last year, so I look forward to having a great season,” he said. “Where my game is… its not even no comparison to how I feel now and where I’m at now  mentally and physically compared to last season. I’m going to bring a lot to the table regardless of what a lot of people think and what they saw last season. It will definitely be a new player that they see on the basketball court.”

Likewise, Stackhouse has been shooting the ball well in camp, and offers some options for Coach Drew.

“He’s a 2 that can make shots,” said Drew. “He’s got size to defend. He brings veteran leadership, so we are going to give him a very close look.”

For those who were able to watch, what’d you think?

I was out of town over the weekend, so I didn’t see any of the scrimmaging yesterday at training camp. I understand the action was fast-paced and competitive, with Jamal Crawford scoring a basket late in OT to give the subs a victory over the starters.

I’d say the starters took it personally, based on how it went down at Philips today. Scoring early and often, the starters team blitzed the subs 45-24 in two 10-minute halves of scrimmaging on the practice court.

A few observations from what I saw:

• Jeff Teague is fast, dude. No matter what defense the starters threw at him, he was still able to penetrate into the paint for lay-ups or kick-outs to wide-open teammates. I know it’s early, and it’s camp, and all that mess, but kid looks like he belongs. He brings a dynamic to this offense that we haven’t seen in a long time with his ability to drive and dish.
• Jamal Crawford’s handle is and-1 caliber. If you haven’t seen his crossover move yet, don’t worry. You will.
• Watching Mario West in training camp is just a thing of beauty. His motor never quits. It’s always fun to watch him against guys who aren’t familiar with his frenetic brand of basketball. I saw Jamal Crawford shake his head a couple of times today after bearing the brunt of a West attack.
• There isn’t too much to report on the Hawks starters, other than to say they all look rested and ready. I’m getting a very good vibe about this season…
• As always, some photos from the action.

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