Law not afraid to be a leader

[dakast]

Law not afraid to be a leader

Hawks draftee eager to surprise those who doubt he can play point

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 07/01/07

You probably think you've got Acie Law IV all figured out by now.

College star. Clutch shooter. Fearless competitor. Pride of his neighborhood. Hawks point guard of the future?

You have no idea. He's all that and a whole lot more.

But the pressure you assume he'd be feeling right now, after being the 11th pick in Thursday night's NBA draft and the first point guard the Hawks have drafted in the first round since Jason Terry in 1999, doesn't exist.

The same way the pressure never got to him during those tense, late-game moments during his sparkling career at Texas A&M, when Law routinely carved up the opposition with his cutthroat brand of basketball heroics.

"I'm just not afraid to miss," Law said. "I think that's the key. Some people have it and some people don't. I can look at myself in the mirror if I miss it. Because I have the confidence and the courage to take that shot, or any shot. I'm not afraid. And I want the ball in that situation."

That's exactly the type of player the Hawks were looking to groom as a young floor leader behind veterans Speedy Claxton and Tyronn Lue.

They passed up elite talents like Deron Williams and Chris Paul in past drafts and opted for Florida's Al Horford with the No. 3 pick Thursday night instead of Ohio State freshman Mike Conley Jr., who was chosen No. 4 by Memphis.

So Law will begin his Hawks career with the added burden of being the point guard the Hawks finally found to fit their needs. But comparisons to the aforementioned point guards, or any others, won't be on his mind.

"I don't need any extra motivation," he said, frowning at the suggestion that he somehow has to measure up to others. "I'm motivated anyway. I don't get caught up in anything like that, because in my mind I want to be the best point guard in the NBA. And I'm going to bust my tail and try to reach that point.

"I know a lot of people say a lot different things [about Law being more of a shooting guard than a true point guard], and I'm just looking forward to getting out there and proving a lot of people wrong. ... Like I said, I'm a self-motivated player. I've been doubted my entire career. It's cool. I'm looking forward to proving a lot of people wrong and helping the Hawks turn it around and do some special things."

If his track record is any indication, that's exactly what he'll do.

Early work on fundamentals

Law grew up in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, about 10 minutes from downtown. His father, Acie Law III, kept him from playground ball until he was in middle school, wanting to make sure his son developed a deep appreciation for the fundamentals of the game before exploring it deeper.

"My dad was real strict about it," Law said of his early years, which included his father pushing him relentlessly to strive for greatness. "All I did was work on dribbling and passing until I was about 9 or 10 years old. He wanted me to learn a different side of the game. So in middle school I started playing at this rec center called Thurgood Marshall [which has since been renamed Redbird]. And the stuff you learn there is how to compete and how to be fearless in the face of whatever adversity you're facing."

It's an attitude Law took with him to nearby Kimball High School, where he was named the district newcomer of the year as a freshman. In his junior year, he led his team to the Class 5A state tournament, where they lost in the 2002 championship game on a last-second, half-court shot – the first time Law was on the receiving end of what has since become his trademark weapon, the "big shot."

Family shared college career

When it came time to pick a college, Law spurned interest from as far away as UConn to stay close to home so his family could see him play. His father is a self-employed auto mechanic, and his mother, Dolores, is an office clerk. He has two younger sisters.

Law said his mother didn't miss a home game in four years, making it home to Dallas from College Station sometimes an hour or two before the sun came up after weeknight games. His father missed one.

"My family is everything to me," Law said. "I knew from an early age that we were all going to be on this journey together. I had the dream as a young kid to be in the NBA. I wanted to retire my parents; that's something I always wanted to do. And the first step was making it to college and taking my work ethic up to another level. A&M didn't have a huge basketball tradition, so that allowed me to go somewhere and do all the things I wanted to, while also leaving my mark on the place. I wanted to leave my family's name there and make them proud."

He was A&M's first first-team All-American and led the Aggies from a winless Big 12 conference record his freshman year to one of the nation's best teams during his final two years on campus. As a senior, Law averaged 18 points and five assists while leading the Aggies to their first Sweet 16 berth since 1980.

He earned the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard and also won the National Association of Basketball Coaches career achievement award, given to seniors recognized for their leadership on and off the court.

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie, who coached Law at A&M, said that watching him evolve into the player and leader he has become during the past six years has been nothing short of "phenomenal."

He's also more than happy to be the first person to poke holes in the theory that Law is more shooting guard than point guard.

"The first year-and-a-half, I couldn't get him to shoot enough," said Gillispie, who, with Law's high school coach, Royce Johnson, was in New York on draft night with the Law family. "I always wanted him to push it more and shoot it more, even this year. But he's always had a great knack for knowing when to take over a game. You don't have to say anything to him.

"I can tell you this, he'll do whatever it takes to win. He's a fierce competitor, has an unbelievable amount of confidence, and whether guys say he's a point guard or not, he's a total lead guard. A lead guard can do all those things you need a point guard to do, plus he can lead everyone around him to play at a very high level. And that's the description Acie fits. I have no questions about him. He can do anything. ... His ball skills are so good, his quickness with the ball is so good. He'll be very tough to guard. I think he's going to have a long and prosperous career, and I think he's going to help the Hawks immediately."

Johnson saw the same things in Law years ago. It's what prompted him to instigate a player makeover before Law's senior year of high school.

He moved Law from shooting guard to point guard and had him change his jersey number from 34 to 1. Law, being an inquisitive student of the game, asked why?

Johnson told him that "if he wanted to be a good college player, stay at [shooting guard]. But if you want to be a pro, go to your natural position. You're the best player on the floor when the ball is in your hands. You can make everybody better. That's what point guards do."

Johnson suggested the number change with a vision of what transpired Thursday night, arguing that No. 1 is the jersey number NBA commissioner David Stern holds up after each first-round pick is made. And if that was Law's goal, he needed to be prepared.

Whether or not he's prepared for what comes next, Hawks coach Mike Woodson said, isn't even an issue.

Law agreed, wondering where all his doubters were during his mercurial senior season.

"I was the top point guard all season long, and then at the very end I wasn't," he said referring to Conley being rated as the top point guard on the board. "It's part of the game, I guess. And it keeps me motivated. I kind of like it in a way, to be able to prove the doubters wrong. It puts a nice chip on my shoulder, and I go out with that attitude every second."

Woodson a believer

Instead of focusing on what he is not, Woodson insists that people should pay much more attention to what Law is.

"Listen man," Woodson said, "he's strong, he's 6-3 and he's a competitior. He got better every year in college, and he took that team to the top. And his game went that way, too. People say he's probably not a [point guard]. At the end of games he was probably the best player in college basketball. And his speed is deceptive. He's not blazing, but he can get around people and get to where he needs to go. I don't want to take away any of his strong points. But I also want him to learn the point guard position the right way in our league.

"Because when you look at all the good teams in our league, their point guards are scoring point guards. Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Deron Williams ... all of them. They're guys who can score the basketball as well as run a team."

[BusBoyIsBack]

If Woody wants to build this team to be like Detroit, we sure are getting the right pieces.

Call it blasphemy but we just got a 22-year old Chauncey Billups without the max contract

When I look at the adversity this guy had to go through and the numbers he put up and what he did for his basketball program, this guy is flat out most proven PG in the draft and it's not even close

[vdunkndunk]

I really like Law's attitude. I didn't see him enough in college, and I think Hollinger's statistical analysis of the draft picks might have blinded me to what Law can do. I saw some highlights of him last night that were very impressive. Hopefully he can come in and help us this year and develop into a really good player over the next two or three years.

[sturt]

Quote:

---

"

I was the top point guard all season long, and then at the very end I wasn't

," he said referring to Conley being rated as the top point guard on the board. "It's part of the game, I guess. And it keeps me motivated.

I kind of like it in a way, to be able to prove the doubters wrong. It puts a nice chip on my shoulder, and I go out with that attitude every second.

"

---

Exactly.

I felt that Conley's hype really took off, oddly enough, on the night his team LOST the championship.

Until then, he was not spoken of anymore than any Daequan Cook.

Now, that's not to say that Conley doesn't emerge as the best PG to come out of this draft... but we've acquired the guy who rightfully holds that Cousy award, vis-a-vis the best point guard in college basketball for the 06-07 season.

Woodson made a great point, too... I hadn't thought of the fact that there aren't any John Stocktons running the point at All-Star games lately.

[DrReality]

I'm impressed with the maturity of both Law and Horford. This article is impressive and show a lot of character. Love his left handed shot and the fact that he's big enough to take some punishment. Looking forward to the summer league.

[Buzzsaw]

Totally agree, Hollinger turned me off about Acie as well. During the season though, watching Law, I definitely wanted him on the Hawks. Sturt- Conley got all his hype during the time Oden was hurt when he was carrying OSU, without that he would have been available at #11, for sure. He had to prove that he could do it without Oden

[Nicholasp27]

i'm getting very excited about law...we better not trade him

[exodus]

To me it is a big relief they picked Law over Crit. I am also glad they didn't trade the pick for Jack or Ridnour. I am confident Law will be better than both.

I knew he was a clutch player but i couldn't believe it when i saw that on the season he actually outscored the opposing teams in the last 5 minutes of the games.

[Nicholasp27]

we lost at least 20 games last year in the last five mins

we'll like law a LOT

[cyman3]

i cant wait til we face MEMPHIS.

Law vs Conley... i think LAW will have the better game.

[jerrywest]

Quote:

---

we lost at least 20 games last year in the last five mins

we'll like law a LOT

---

Lets hope he can continue to do what he did in college, and we can call him our "Closer".

Ex - where can I varify that stat? I think I've read it in a column, but haven't seen any 5 minute raw stat.

[exodus]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

we lost at least 20 games last year in the last five mins

we'll like law a LOT

---

Lets hope he can continue to do what he did in college, and we can call him our "Closer".

Ex - where can I varify that stat? I think I've read it in a column, but haven't seen any 5 minute raw stat.

---

Quote:

---

In the clutch is where he’s really made a name for himself, though, outscoring opponents 7.3 to 7.1 in the last five minutes of games according to a stat mentioned by ESPN.

---

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1530

[pound4pound]

Where is the Big write up on Horford? Should we infer Sekou didn't write some big Sunday expose' on the third player taken in the draft because he knows something?

[exodus]

Quote:

---

Where is the Big write up on Horford? Should we infer Sekou didn't write some big Sunday expose' on the third player taken in the draft because he knows something?

---

In the first line of his blog Sekou says "i am not passing out a draft grade today. It is too soon."

Huh?

[pound4pound]

Very coincidental: Maybe we are in the works for Yi and Villanueva.

[frosgrim]

I wouldn't doubt that at all. Don't like Charlie at all, but if it nets us Yi, then I am willing to see if Chucky V. has changed his ways (doubtful, but we'll see).

RE: Law, man the more I read about the guy the more excited I get over the Hawks drafting him. He seems to have that Gilbert Arenas chip thing working for him. I actually am looking forward to Acie and Gil going at it over the next few years, that could be a lot of fun to watch.

[coachx]

Quote:

---

we lost at least 20 games last year in the last five mins

we'll like law a LOT

---

A men to that !

That article has 0% fluff. Law is the real deal. He was at his best in the biggest games. He is our Sam Cassell. I can't wait.

[DavidSomerset]

I guess today would be the day we'd find out something, if true, right?

[sick_five]

Acie Law changed his number to 4, per the player page on the Hawks website...

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Quote:

---

Very coincidental: Maybe we are in the works for Yi and Villanueva.

---

Total disaster for the Hawks if we did that. Charlie is a pure finesse player that doesn't like to bang on the inside. Yi is a pure finesse player that doesn't like to bang on the inside. LOL . . we'd be virtually trading a guy who can at least play on the inside on both ends of the court, for two guys who don't. And seeing that we're a team that already doesn't like playing on the inside, that trade wouldn't help us at all. Who plays center if we trade Horford for those two guys? ZaZa? Charlie? Yi?

Good lord.