--No player on the Hawks' roster took the news of Josh Childress leaving harder than his best friend on the team. Marvin Williams and Childress have the same agent, Jim Tanner, and share many of the same interests.
"It's crazy. Words can't explain the friendship I've built with him the past few years," Williams said. "It's tough first and foremost for our team. We signed Mo Evans from Orlando and that's a great get, he's a guy that's going to do a lot of good things for us. But from a personal standpoint, (Childress) was the guy that showed me what the league was all about when I got here. It's a blow to see him leave." Williams didn't even get a chance to talk to Childress about his groundbreaking move before it hit the airwaves.
"When I heard he was going to Greece I thought he was going to hang out," Williams said and then laughed. "I was actually in Switzerland myself at the time. So I was in the airport in New York eating and the news came across the scroll on ESPN that he was going to Greece. I was like, what the (heck) is going on... all I can say is I was stunned."
--The pundits have already weighed in on the Hawks for this upcoming season, with a recent panel picking them to finish 10th in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoff mix.
Josh Smith is in the other camp, arguing that the Hawks are certainly among the league's top 16 teams. And while some look at the summer haul as a disappointment, Smith insists the Hawks are better.
"I think it's a little better because the guys we added have been in the playoffs, been in situations and have been on winning teams," he said. "They're veterans who know what it takes to win. Mo Evans played a huge role in Orlando last year. Flip Murray gives us another breakdown guard who can create off the dribble so Joe won't have to dribble through three and four people at a time. Mo can knock down a consistent three-point shot and gives us another offensive weapon to spread the floor. And they're both good defenders. Randolph Morris is a big body that gives us some much needed depth inside and I think overall these are all good additions to our team."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "People talk, man. They're on the outside looking in. And we're on the inside dealing with this. Like I said, people are going to have their opinions about me and they're going to make their assumptions about me. And I can't do anything about that. And I honestly don't care to. Coach Woodson and I have a good relationship. We talked several times throughout the summer before my contract was signed. We're good." -- Hawks F Josh Smith, on his relationship with Hawks coach Mike Woodson.
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