ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard Mike Bibby, Shooting guard Joe Johnson, Small forward Marvin Williams, Power forward Josh Smith, Center Al Horford. Bench -- Guard Flip Murray, Guard Acie Law IV, Guard Mario West, Guard Mo Evans, Guard Speedy Claxton, Forward Thomas Gardner, Forward Othello Hunter, Forward Solomon Jones, Forward/center Zaza Pachulia, Center Randolph Morris.
PLAYER NOTES: --G Speedy Claxton didn't make the trip with the Hawks to Cleveland and hasn't been practicing with the team, so there's no reason to think he'll be involved in any future plans either. As trade talks continue to heat up around the league, don't be surprised to hear Claxton's name mentioned in those discussions.
--G Joe Johnson proved he's human in the first half Saturday night, going 1-for-8 from the floor in 19 minutes against the Cavaliers and scoring just four points. With teams gearing up to stop him earlier and earlier in games, Johnson, and subsequently the Hawks, are getting off to slow starts more often than usual.
--F Solomon Jones was one of the only bright spots for the Hawks in the first half, making two of his first three shots and scoring five points to help the Hawks crawl back to competitive after trailing by as many as 23 points in the first half. Jones has been a unheralded solid performer throughout this early season stretch.
