Rookies Brace for Workload

Atlanta Journal Constitution

The smiling Mike Woodson that Hawks rookies Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire got to know in the days after the June NBA draft will give way to Woodson's gruff alter ego at the start of training camp this morning.

"There are a lot of guys who are probably going to hate me in the next few weeks," Woodson said with a smile during the Hawks' media day scrum Monday afternoon at Philips Arena. "Mostly because we're going to work harder than these guys ever have. We're going to work 10 times harder than we did last year, because we know we have that much more work to do."

The veterans have a feel for what to expect, having lived through Woodson's inaugural season as head coach, a 13-69 campaign that everyone is trying forget.

But for poor unsuspecting rookies like Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in the June draft, and Stoudamire, the 31st pick, the first season can be much more than they're ready for.

"It's almost funny before you realize how sad it is," Hawks forward Al Harrington said. "You want to try and tell somebody how to brace for the impact, but you know you can't. How do you tell somebody they're going to get run over by a truck when they see it coming, too, but can't get out of the way?"

Stoudamire has consulted his fair share of advisers, including his cousin Damon Stoudamire, also a former Arizona star and longtime NBA starting point guard, hoping to assemble a cheat sheet for the rookie rigors.

"Damon told me I'm going to hit the wall eventually," Stoudamire said. "He said he just didn't tell anybody. He said he kept on trucking and he ended up winning Rookie of the Year. So I know it's going to happen. It's just a matter of how I deal with it."

Williams has heard the warnings from his teammates and coaches. But until this morning, all he had were stories of what to expect.

"They can only tell you about it, but it's something I'm going to have to experience for myself," said the 19-year-old forward, hailed by most experts as the most promising talent in the draft. "I'm excited and I'm ready for the challenge, and hopefully it will be a big year for all of us."

The Hawks' rookies have a cushion their predecessors did not. Unlike Josh Smith and Josh Childress a year ago, neither Williams nor Stoudamire will be expected to fill a starting role or carry any of the leadership responsibility for a team still rebuilding.

And that's just as well, considering they're both still recovering from the whirlwind that has been their lives since the NCAA tournament began.

"The past six months have definitely been crazy," said Williams, who helped North Carolina to a national championship as a freshman before bolting for the NBA. "I'm really trying to settle down now. And that's one of the comforting things about [training] camp. It's all about basketball for me now."

Source