Larry Drew might need to pull off a first round upset of the Magic to keep his Hawks coaching job.  Continue reading →

Jamal Crawford doesn’t believe that his poor offensive season will hurt his free agent status. Continue reading…

The Hawks need to to take a hard look at packaging Marvin Williams (with picks and younger players) for the missing roster piece. Continue reading…

To Al Horford’s recollection, it also marked the first time a last-second play had been drawn up for him in his 3-1/2 seasons with the Hawks. Almost exclusively, that’s been the domain of guards Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford and Mike Bibby. READ MORE…

Larry Drew, the longtime Hawks assistant who signed a two-year deal worth a combined $2.5 million to become the head coach in early June, made it clear Continue reading →

Hawks coach Larry Drew usually calls on Jason Collins only when he needs the 7-footer to tangle with the NBA’s beefiest post players. The alignment has been Continue reading →

The Hawks could point to any of those circumstances to mitigate their three-game losing streak after a 6-0 start. They specifically could be used to explain why their bench, an asset during the team’s hot start, has become a liability, most recently in the listless loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday. “Still, consistency in effort needs to be there,” Hawks reserve center Zaza Pachulia said. “We looked at the tape, and there was no effort. It looked like we were tired. “Bad part is we lost the game, and we [reserves] were the biggest reason. The good part is this is something you can change in one game.” There’s a chance the Hawks can gain some relief by changing the lineup. Forwards Marvin Williams and Mo Evans, both recovering from knee injuries, could play Friday against Utah at Philips Arena. — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks center Al Horford said the five-year, $60 million contract extension he recently signed with the Hawks also includes incentives that could increase the total value to about $67 million. The incentive clauses are based on Horford earning various superlatives, such as being voted to one of three All-NBA teams. — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks coach Larry Drew said starting small forward Marvin Williams could miss up to two weeks because of the knee injury he suffered Wednesday at Detroit. Williams has a bone bruise in his right knee. He will be examined later this week. “After the first week, it will be about how much he can tolerate the pain,” Drew said. Drew said he doesn’t know when reserve forward Mo Evans (knee) would return; Evans hasn’t played since the season opener at Memphis. With Williams and Evans out, Drew has had to go without a true small forward. — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

That leaves guard Jamal Crawford as the only core player for Atlanta not signed beyond this season. Crawford, who will make $10.1 million this season, has told the team he wants to be traded if he doesn’t receive a contract extension he considers satisfactory. — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The pressure isn’t quiet as intense for Larry Drew, but there are expectations for the Hawks. They won 53 games last season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, but coach Mike Woodson wasn’t retained. With the same core of players returning for 2009-10, the Hawks’ goal is to go further. Drew, Woodson’s lead assistant for six years, said he knows he will be under scrutiny. “I wouldn’t have accepted the job if I didn’t think I could get it done,” he said. “It comes with the territory. That’s just the way it is.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution